


Tradition They Say

by SasuNarufan13



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: A somewhat darkish theme, Canon Age Difference, Lemon, Levi's POV, M/M, Reference to past minor character deaths, Reference to rape but it doesn't happen in the story, Set a bit after Eren's friends join the Survey Corpse, Slash, Smidgen of violence, a bit of angst, birthday fic, mature content, some time skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-05-18 07:27:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 40,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14848346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SasuNarufan13/pseuds/SasuNarufan13
Summary: Choosing a Companion is tradition - one Levi doesn't want to touch with a ten feet pole. Until someone wants to take Eren as their Companion. Levi can't, won't, let that happen. Not to someone of his squad.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Belle_Lestrange101](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Belle_Lestrange101/gifts).



> Author's note: This story is dedicated to Belle_Lestrange101, because it's her birthday today! Happy birthday, sweetheart!
> 
> This story is going to have at least two parts, if not more, depending on how long the chapters are going to be LOL
> 
> I'll add new warnings when required. If I miss one, let me know!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan. Hajime Isayama owns it.
> 
> Dedicated to: Belle_Lestrange101
> 
> I hope you'll like the first part!

_Chapter 1_

There were times when he wondered why it was necessary for him to accompany Erwin on these trips. It wasn't like he was interested in any of the drivel these people spouted; in fact their idiotic jabbering got on his nerves more often than not. Erwin insisted on his company, however, and what that man wanted, he got.

Leaning back against the wall, he crossed his arms and his ankles, surveying the dimly lit room with distaste. Being in the inner city, the room was decorated with maximum comfort in mind. There was a big fireplace in which large flames danced and entwined with each other, spreading their heat throughout the large room and making the dark tiles gleam. Comfortable chairs were dotted all across the room, gathered around dark wooden tables and occupied by raucously laughing men; their loud voices and obnoxious boasting echoing throughout the space. The alcohol being freely served from one corner certainly didn't help matters.

His upper lip curled up derisively when one of the men – who clearly had had too much to drink judging by his glazed over eyes and reddened nose – nearly fell off his chair as he laughed, barely able to keep himself up right.

_The elite, ladies and gentlemen._

He had encountered titans who acted more dignified than this lot.

"Be careful, Levi," a deep voice said next to him. "If you keep glaring like that, people might think you're plotting their murder."

"I'd be putting them out of their misery," he sneered and scowled at the larger man. "Are you nearly done here?"

Blue eyes gleamed when Erwin grinned. "That anxious to get back to your team?"

At the reminder of the bunch of brats he had left behind in their camp, his scowl deepened and his nails dug into the thick material of his jacket. How those idiots had survived so far was a fucking mystery to him. They couldn't even clean one room properly and they were supposed to be his team and defend humanity against the titans? They were screwed.

The only recruit who showed some actual promise was that girl who clung to Eren whenever possible and Levi was pretty certain she hated his guts if her glare was anything to go by.

"I don't even want to imagine how much of a mess they're making now," he grumbled irritated. Especially that Connie guy and Sasha excelled in creating mess out of nothing.

"I imagine with Eren around, it won't be as bad as you think," Erwin chuckled.

Narrowing his eyes, Levi asked suspiciously, "What do you mean with that?"

That infuriating smile was still on his face when he replied, "Just that you clearly taught him well when it concerns cleaning. Now if you'll excuse me, I see someone I need to talk to." He nodded at a man in the right corner and left Levi standing by the wall.

The dark haired man was incredibly tempted to go outside, seek out his horse and just leave, but they still had one damn left in this place. His face darkened at the thought of the event which would take place tomorrow afternoon. Neither he nor Erwin participated in it – if Erwin had done so, he was incredibly discreet about it – and he had never understood why the blond man insisted on staying until the last day.

" _It doesn't look good to leave early, Levi."_

Erwin's words echoed in his ears and he gritted his teeth, irritation flashing up once more. He couldn't give a rat's arse about how other people would perceive their early retreat, but he wasn't about to go against Erwin's wishes either. That wouldn't look good at all and the Survey Corps tended to tread on thin ice most of the time already – the last thing they needed was bad publicity.

There was no point in him staying here any longer, though. He might as well go back to his room and catch some sleep.

Pushing himself off the wall, he took a couple of seconds to straighten out his jacket and then made his way past several tables, ignoring their occupants. Some of them still tried to attract his attention, but most of them knew by now that it was pointless to try and engage him in small talk.

"… think about picking that titan boy."

Levi froze, his hand hovering above the brass door knob. The door was ajar and some shadows passed across the floor as their owners walked past the room. Normally he wouldn't care about the conversation which were had in this place, but the reference to the 'titan boy' had him on edge. As far as he was aware of, there was currently only one titan boy known. What the hell could they want with Eren?

Slipping out of the room he followed a small group of three men who were making their way down the corridor. Judging by the emblem on the back of their uniforms, they were part of the Military Police Brigade.

"We're talking about the one that's part of the Survey Corps, right?" the guy on the left asked.

The man in the middle – sporting a low ponytail – nodded. "Yeah, that one. You know of anyone else?" he snorted, shaking his head.

The hand of the man on the right – he was completely bald; his head gleaming dimly in the weak light – came up to rub the back of his neck. "You sure about that?" he inquired uncertainly. "Who knows when he's going to snap. I don't think you should risk it, man. There are plenty of others you can choose from. What about that Dreyse girl? She's not bad on the eyes."

"She'd probably make a good Companion," Ponytail guy grinned, turning to look at Bald Guy for a moment to slap his back. Levi halted in the middle of the corridor, disgust having him rooted on the floor. "So I'm leaving her up to you, Leo. As for me, I'm not interested in her. No, I'm interested in our little titan boy. Can you imagine all the things I could do to that monster? How many times do you think he can heal before there's lasting damage?"

"You're horrible, Jasper," the guy on the left said amused.

"Maybe," Ponytail guy laughed. "You think anyone in the Survey Corps got their hands on him already? Maybe Smith decided to …"

The three men walked around the corner and their voices became muffled, dying out as they moved further and further away until nothing but silence remained.

Levi stood there a moment longer until somewhere behind him a door creaked open, which stirred him into action. He walked to the end of the corridor, turning around the left corner while the three men had taken the right. Candles lit up the corridor here and his shadow danced across the wall as he made his way to his bedroom.

As always the door hinges protested loudly when he pushed the door open – proof that for all their comfort, they took shit care of their stuff. After closing and locking the door behind him, he went to the bathroom first; the conversation of the three men had left a bad taste behind and he needed the bath to get himself clean again.

While the water clattered loudly into the large tub, he set about collecting some towels and the bar of soap, placing those items next to the bath on a stool before stepping out of his clothes and folding them up neatly. The water was on the rather cold side because he hadn't taken the time to warm it up, but he didn't care.

As it was he barely registered the chillness of the water as he sank in the tub, immersing himself until only his head was above the surface. On automatic pilot he started cleaning himself with a washcloth and the bar of soap while thoughts whirled madly around in his mind.

_Companion._

The word on its own left a foul taste behind and he started scrubbing his left leg harder. As if he could forget the entire conversation if he just rubbed hard enough. It didn't work; all it left him with was deep red skin, which faintly throbbed, protesting his rough treatment. He stared at his leg for a while before wringing out the washcloth and draping it over the edge of the tub. He leant back until he was staring at the ceiling, his neck braced against the hard, uncomfortable edge of the bathtub.

Companions were always new recruits. People with certain ranks in the military or who had done some kind of great achievement could pick out one of the recruits, recent graduates, and it didn't matter to which branch they belonged. The soldiers could have been drafted into the Survey Corps, the Military Police Brigade or even the Garrison: if they were new, they were subjected to the mercy of those higher ranked than them.

Officially Companions were said to spend a lot of time with the one who chose them, doing things together, offering comfort when necessary, being a comrade of sorts. A friend they could unwind with when work got tough. In truth, Companions were nothing but glorified personal whores; their comfort coming in the form of their naked bodies and spread legs.

The higher ups liked to make everyone believe that becoming a Companion was something special, something one should feel proud of when they were selected. There was nothing special about being ordered around to do one's bidding, of being degraded and humiliated, of being forced to sleep with the one who owned you now.

They claimed that the new soldiers could choose whether to accept being one's Companion or not, but the reality was that if a soldier refused, they would be barred from promotions and would be given the shittiest tasks – just a different form of humiliation.

It was tradition, they said, but one which made Levi wonder who the real monsters actually were in the end.

Nobody had ever tried to ask Levi to become a Companion; he had always suspected that the majority thought he already belonged to Erwin. He supposed he did – just not in the way they believed.

He had been offered the chance of gaining a Companion of his own; they had been insistent about it in the beginning until he had made it clear to them in no uncertain terms where they could shove their tradition. He didn't want a Companion; he didn't see the fun in stealing the other person's free will away, in forcing them to be with him just because they were afraid of the alternative, of what would happen should they refuse.

During his time in the Underground, he had encountered enough people forced to sell their bodies just to survive that even the mere mention of a Companion had him shuddering with disgust.

Tomorrow the Comfort event would take place in this building and everyone seeking a Companion could state their claim to the organisers, who carried a list with the names of the newest batch of soldiers. A contract would be drawn up and the young soldier would go to the first person who asked for him or her. Most of the time the soldier didn't even know they had been chosen until their new 'owner' showed up to take them away.

It was a fucking travesty and Levi's stomach churned at the thought that Eren would suffer the same fate as all the Companions before him. His status as Shifter made the Companionship even more dangerous for him. The ones interested in him knew he could regenerate and there was no doubt in Levi's mind that Eren would be subjected to immense torture, just to see how far they could push him, how much they could do to him before it became too much.

And Eren wouldn't be able to defend himself. One wrong move and they would kill him. The claim the Survey Corps had – that Levi and Erwin had – on Eren would be useless in the face of a Companion Claim. Companion Claims preceded over any other contract or deal. If someone chose Eren, Eren would be forced to go with them.

He'd be forced to let himself be humiliated, raped, tortured … All in the name of a _tradition_.

That fire Levi had seen in those green grey eyes the first time he had really looked at him in that dungeon cell … His drive, his passion, his stubbornness, that little mad glint which appeared in his eyes whenever he talked about destroying the titans, the way he would light up whenever he mentioned going outside, past the walls and discover what else the earth had in store for them … The eagerness with which he learnt new things, new skills, even if those were related to cleaning …The way he could still genuinely smile and laugh despite all the shit he had gone through so far …

That bright flame would be extinguished, destroyed if Eren were to become a Companion. There would be nothing left of that bright spark Levi had noticed when he had talked to him for the first time. He'd be nothing but a broken toy – another helpless victim of the tradition.

Humanity's Hope would be no more.

He couldn't allow that to happen. Not to Eren. Not to someone of his own squad, the boy who carried everyone's hope on his shoulders.

He couldn't let that happen.

* * *

Blue eyes blinked surprised when Levi strode past the blond man. "You're here early," Erwin remarked bemused, following him into the corridor. "You usually only show up here at the last minute."

"Change of mind," Levi said clipped, striding past some soldiers who were just leaving the breakfast hall.

"Levi," Erwin murmured when it became clear to him which door was their apparent destination.

His face was unnervingly blank when Levi turned to look at him, his hand already resting on the door knob. "You got something to say?" he asked curtly, not in the mood to have a whole discussion about this. He knew the older man had to be incredibly confused, especially after Levi's past vocal opinions about this event, but he couldn't afford to waste time now. That Jasper guy might be an early riser and Levi didn't want to risk the other man arriving here before him.

"As long as you know what you're doing," Erwin sighed.

"When have I ever not known that?" Levi muttered before opening the door and marching inside. A quick glance around proved that not many people had shown up yet – more importantly, Jasper wasn't here either.

Ignoring the surprised murmurs and the piercing gazes of the people who were already present, he made a beeline for the large table in the middle of the stone room where three men were seated; each with a stack of papers in front of them.

The man on the left – already greying with a crooked nose as if it had been broken and not set correctly during the healing process – straightened his shoulders when Levi came to a halt in front of him; his muddy brown eyes widening a tad in recognition.

"Good morning, Captain," the man greeted him surprised. "Can I help you with something?"

"I'm here to choose a Companion," Levi answered coolly and a hush fell over the room. The two men next to the one he was talking to visibly froze, staring at him with eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.

"Oh! Eh, of course, yes, which soldier has captured your interest, sir?" the man asked eagerly, already shifting through his stack of papers.

"Eren Yeager." As soon as the name left his lips, he felt Erwin stilling behind him; no doubt he'd be subjected to some questions once they were out of this room.

The man paused, clearly taken aback. "Are you – are you certain, Captain?"

"Do you always question the choices?" Levi fired back, quirking an eyebrow.

The older man reddened. "No, of course I don't! I was just – it doesn't matter. Here, I need you to sign this paper and Yeager will have to put his signature right next to yours if he agrees to the arrangement." He pushed a paper to Levi, together with a pencil.

Grey eyes perused the document carefully and it took everything in him not to sneer as he bent down to write his name on the paper. It wasn't an overly complicated document; it basically stated that the Companion would offer comfort whenever necessary, that the Companion was relieved of their duties in order to attend to the needs of their Enquirer – which was just the euphemism for ' _owner_ ' - and that everything said between the two of them would remain confidential. The contract could only be ended by the one starting it and the Companion wasn't allowed to spend more time with somebody who wasn't their Enquirer.

It was complete and utter bullshit and the urge to rip the paper into pieces and stuff them into that old bastard's throat was big, but he held back. He didn't want to do this, didn't want to turn Eren into his Companion, but it was either him or that son of a bitch who would get high on a power trip if he managed to get his filthy hands on the boy.

 _Sorry, kid_ , he sent a mental apology as he straightened out again, handing the pencil back. _But better the devil you know._

"Excellent!" the man grinned, clapping his hands together. "Enjoy your Companion! I have to add that someone of our organisation will stay with you for a while, but I can assure you, you won't be bothered by them."

"Why will someone stay with us?" Levi asked sharply, stuffing the folded document in his inner pocket.

The man smiled weakly. "To ensure whether you're really taking Yeager on as your Companion."

"I just signed the contract – isn't that proof enough?" Levi snapped annoyed. The thought that someone would accompany them to essentially spy on them made his skin crawl.

"Of course that's proof enough, Captain," the man hurried to say, looking nervous as he twisted his fingers together on top of his stack of papers. "But it's a rule which came into place once we received complaints that some people chose particular soldiers as their Companion without actually using them as one, simply to spite someone else. Now one of our employees stays with every new Enquirer for a little while to ensure that the rules are followed."

Levi gritted his teeth together, his annoyance turning into frustration as he realised that he would need to come up with a new plan now. He had thought simply taking on Eren's contract would be enough and their normal lives could continue without the boy being any the wiser about his new status. Clearly he had underestimated this damned organisation. He'd have to talk to Eren about the contract now and figure out a way to make it convincing enough for the employee, who hopefully wouldn't stay too long.

_God damn it._

"Levi, we need to leave soon," Erwin spoke up behind him; his voice carrying a subtle warning tone.

"Fine," he said tersely and turned around, ready to leave this godforsaken room.

"One of our employees will be waiting for you at the stables!" the man called out by Levi and Erwin were already walking out of the room.

There were more soldiers in the corridors now, chatting and laughing, and the captain ignored them all as he strode back to his room. He'd grab the rest of his belongings and get the hell out of here as soon as possible.

The commander followed him into the room, leaning against the wall as he watched Levi gather his meagre belongings and stuff them into his bag.

"Eren, Levi?" he finally spoke and his voice was curiously blank, not giving away what he really thought about Levi's decision. "I thought you weren't interested in getting a Companion."

"I didn't have much choice," Levi grunted, closing his bag and turning around to face the blond man.

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me someone forced you to take Eren as your Companion?" he asked mildly.

"Of course not," the dark haired man growled, crossing his arms. "I overheard someone talking about him yesterday, saying he wanted Eren as his Companion to find out just how much he could take, being a shifter and all. Excuse me if I didn't want to put someone of our own through that shit."

"Not to mention we would have lost a valuable asset in our war against the titans," Erwin murmured, his eyes growing distant for a moment. He shook his head, growing solemn. "How far are you going to take it?"

"Not far," Levi huffed. "Just enough to fool whoever they send to tail us. If I'm lucky, they'll only stay for a week and then life can go back to normal."

"And if they stay for longer than that?"

"Then we deal with it," Levi said dismissively, narrowing his eyes.

"You won't be able to hide that he's your Companion. The others will know, Levi," Erwin warned him with a soft sigh.

"No shit," he snorted and grabbed his bag. "They'll adjust."

Some better than others, he presumed and hid a grimace. He had a feeling Ackerman wouldn't be one of those who would adjust well to the new situation.

"Let's go. Who knows what those idiots have been up to in our absence," he grumbled.

As they left the room, Erwin smiled. "It can't be that bad. Hange is there to supervise them."

" _Yes, exactly_." Leaving Hange in charge was just asking for a disaster.

"It'll be fine."

If only he possessed that particular brand of optimism Erwin had.

* * *

The employee accompanying them on their trip back to their base camp was a young brunette, who looked like she would piss her pants if she so much as caught a glimpse of a titan's toe. She introduced herself as Linda Zuschauer and reassured Levi meekly that he wouldn't even notice her during the time she stayed with them. He silently disagreed with that as the way she looked at him with her big eyes was quite unnerving.

The trip back took one and a half day and thankfully Zuschauer wasn't a chatty person. She and Erwin did speak occasionally, but she seemed too nervous to approach Levi again and that suited him just fine. He had enough on his mind without her trying to talk to him.

Dark clouds started gathering by the time their camp came into view and all three of them spurred on their horses, eager to get inside before the clouds would unleash their torrent of rain.

Eren and Arlert were already waiting for them at the stables and a twin look of surprise crossed their faces when they saw Zuschauer.

"Good afternoon, commander, captain," they chorused and greeted them with the standard salute.

"Good afternoon. At ease," Erwin smiled, jumping down from his horse. Arlert stepped forwards to grab the reigns. "Everything in order here?"

"Yes sir," Arlert answered and glanced back at the old castle they had claimed as their temporary base. "Actually, Miss Hange is looking for you, commander. She said she had discovered something interesting and wanted your opinion about it as soon as possible." His tone was apologetic as if he was sorry that Erwin would have to deal with Hange so soon after returning from their trip.

Levi didn't feel particularly sorry for the larger man – better him than Levi himself. He didn't possess the level of patience required to deal with Hange at this moment.

"Well, I shall see what new discovery she made then," Erwin smiled and nodded at them before walking past the stables and into the door leading to the cellar.

Eren was already leading Levi's horse to the first stable when the older man called out, "Eren, once you're finished here, come see me in my study. We need to discuss something."

"Yes, Captain!"

As he made his way into the castle and through the various corridors – offering a nod whenever someone of his squad popped his or hers head out of a room to welcome him back – he noted absentmindedly that the castle was quite clean. Not the level of cleanliness he demanded, but it was close and he was actually impressed with his squad's work. Perhaps they weren't that entirely useless in that department after all.

_His study was spotless._

That realisation was enough to make him pause in the doorway as he looked around the room. The entire place was _pristine_. He had left it neatly behind, of course, but he had expected to find the first thin layer of dust on the furniture after not having been in here for the past five days.

Everything was clean, however, even the floor underneath his bookcase. The windows were spotless too, despite the rain which had fallen two days ago. Who had cleaned here? It had to be someone of his squad, but the cleaning work that had been done in the corridors was like a weak reflection of the cleaning which had taken place in here.

"My apologies, sir, if the cleaning is not to your liking. I did my best to keep it as clean as possible here," Eren's voice drifted towards him from the open doorway and he turned his head to look at the boy.

"You cleaned my study?" Levi inquired and couldn't help but sound incredulous.

Cheeks flushing slightly, Eren nodded. "Yes, I did. I didn't think you'd trust anyone else yet with the cleaning in here, because that horse face still isn't taking the cleaning seriously, so I took this room. Ah, I didn't move anything and I didn't read anything!" he hastened to reassure the older man, turning even redder as he waved his hands in denial. "I just cleaned, that's all, I swear!"

"Relax, Eren, I'm not mad," Levi sighed and waved him inside. "You're not a disaster when it comes to cleaning after all, congratulations. Close the door behind you."

That, for some reason, caused the boy to beam with pride and he entered the room completely, shutting the door with a soft 'click'. "You wanted to see me, Captain?"

That particular wording, innocently spoken, had Levi twitch and he pressed his lips together as he sank down in his chair; the folded contract in his inner pocket feeling like it was burning him. "Yes, sit down." He waited until Eren had sat down in the chair in front of his desk and then asked, "What do you know about Companions?"

"Companions, sir?" Eren repeated befuddled, frowning slightly.

Silently Levi nodded.

"Eh well, I heard they are new soldiers who are chosen by the ones higher in rank?" Eren answered hesitatingly, peering up at him through his eyelashes. "They supposedly act as some sort of friend, but they, well, they …" He fumbled, his face turning steadily reddening and he glanced away.

"They what, Eren?"

"But everyone knows they're mostly used for sex, sir," Eren blurted out and immediately cringed as if he was expecting a lashing for stating it so bluntly.

The air between them had turned oddly tense and in an attempt to break it, he murmured, "I'm surprised your sister allowed you to hear about stuff like this."

That made the brunet chuckle weakly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "She normally wouldn't, but it's not like she was there all the time to keep my ears covered."

Levi wished he could say that Eren was joking in return, but with what he had witnessed so far of the black haired girl, it wouldn't surprise him if she did cover Eren's ears whenever something 'inappropriate' was told. That girl was worse than an overbearing mother at times.

"Why did you ask, sir?" Eren inquired and the faint amusement in his voice had made way for wariness; his forehead creasing back into a frown.

No point in beating around the bush about it. "I chose a Companion," Levi stated and watched how the boy in front of him stilled, his face growing curiously blank and his eyes dimming.

"Oh. Eh, is that the woman you brought with you?"

"Zuschauer? God no, she's here to ensure I don't break the rules of the Companionship," Levi sneered, crossing his ankles underneath the desk. "She'll leave in a little while once she's satisfied I'm not cheating anyone out of the Companion they wanted."

"Ah." Eren was quiet for a moment as he digested this information. "Then, eh, who is your Companion, Captain? I'm sorry, that was rude of me, I shouldn't have - "

"My Companion is you, Eren."

Green grey eyes widened and a mouth opened and closed several times without a sound escaping as Eren seemed in too much shock to actually function.

Levi sighed and retrieved the document from his jacket as the boy kept gaping at him.

_This is going to be fun to explain._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Many, many apologies for taking this long with the second chapter! The heat wave is draining my energy and one of my personal projects is taking up more time than I expected. I didn't mean to take this long with this chapter, but the chapter wasn't exactly cooperating with me. I wanted it to be longer, but I figured I had let you wait long enough already, so here's finally the second chapter!
> 
> Thank you so much for the kudos and the comments! I never expected this story to gain that much attention already!
> 
> Warnings: Nothing much, just a mention of past minor character deaths; Levi mentioning some gruesome things in a theoretical setting
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan. Hajime Isayama owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 2_

"I'm not interested in having you as my real Companion," Levi stated bluntly as he placed the document on the desk, rubbing the creases out of it.

"Eh, okay." Eren blinked owlishly at him, looking helplessly confused.

Well, he probably should have worded that differently, he realised chagrined. "That's not meant as an offense to you," he corrected himself. "I just hate the concept of a Companion and I'm not interested in ever having one as that's frankly rather degrading."

"But you took me as your Companion," Eren said slowly, bemused.

"Yes, because I heard someone talking about taking you as his Companion and trust me, Eren, you do not want to be tied to that man like that," he answered grimly. "So I took your contract before he had the chance."

"Forgive me, Captain, but would it really have mattered that much? Everyone knows what they actually do," Eren said blankly. His green grey eyes were rather murky, though, proving he wasn't as unaffected by the implication as he'd like the older man to believe.

"We're not talking about just being forced to have sex with him, Eren. We're talking about him wondering just how much he'd be able to torture you before your body would give out finally," Levi stated bluntly, not beating around the bush. "The other Companions would live a life like a fucking king compared to how you would have been treated. You want your limbs to get chopped off again and again just for the amusement of some sick fuck? Getting skinned like some common animal? Want to find out just how sick humans can be compared to titans?"

Eren paled visibly, his eyes growing wider. He seemed stumped, as if he really hadn't expected someone to want to take advantage of his ability to heal. As if he thought nobody would really abuse him to the point where his life would be at risk.

He was still so goddamn naïve, it was a miracle he had survived this long.

"Not to mention, you wouldn't be a part of the Survey Corps anymore. You'd be restricted to doing whatever he wanted you to do and I'm pretty sure his desires don't include getting rid of the titans and scouting the world," Levi continued flatly and waited for the younger man to say something.

Eren appeared too dazed to form a reply and the silence dragged on until the black haired man sighed and leant forwards.

"Look, I know this isn't ideal," he said curtly. "I'm sure you weren't imagining becoming a Companion, much less mine, but I'm also pretty sure you want to keep being a soldier and not just a plaything for some sick bastard, right?"

"Yes, sir!"

Well, at least he hadn't broken the kid completely.

"So, eh, what's going to happen now, sir?" Eren questioned, sounding slightly nervous as he clasped his hands together. His eyes still looked way too big; the green grey stark against his pale skin, but his brain seemed to have kicked into gear again.

Levi shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Nothing much. You'll sign this contract and for the time Zuschauer stays here, we're going to act like the perfect Enquirer and Companion," he sneered. "With a bit of luck she'll be out of here within the week and everything will go back to normal again."

"Okay, where do I have to sign?"

Levi pushed the contract to him, pointing out the space next to his own signature. "You sign here. That'll make it official. Here, you can use my pen."

As the soft scratching sound of the pen on paper filled the room, Levi contemplated what exactly they'd have to do to keep up appearances long enough for Zuschauer to be satisfied. He and Eren would have to spend more time together, that was a fact, but did they have to do anything else? Could they get away with only minimal touching? It wasn't like everyone liked to show off what they did with their Companion. Even if he had wanted a Companion out of his own free will, he'd still like his privacy.

A fleeting touch against arms and shoulders should suffice, right? They'd probably have to sit closer to each other as well. Eren had at least finally learnt how to take a decent shower, so sitting closer shouldn't be too much of a hardship.

"Captain?"

Levi looked at him and accepted the contract when the younger man held it out to him. Eren's signature was quite messy, looking more like chicken scratch than actual handwriting, but it would do. Beautiful penmanship wasn't exactly a requirement to be a soldier. If that had been the case, Hange would have never made it into the regiment.

"I was wondering – can I tell my friends about this?"

The older man frowned. "About you being my Companion from now on? Everyone – unless they're exceptionally dim-witted – will notice as soon as we start spending more time together."

"Ah no, I mean, yeah, that makes sense, but I was actually wondering whether I could tell Armin and Mikasa the truth?" Eren peered at him nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "That you chose me to keep me here, I mean. Instead of someone else picking me."

"I think it's better if you keep the truth to yourself for now. At least until Zuschauer is gone."

"Mikasa and Armin wouldn't tell anyone if I told them to keep it quiet, sir," Eren protested; his voice firmer now, now that the integrity of his friends appeared to be questioned.

Levi snorted. "I'm sure they would keep their mouths shut," he agreed, thinking of how loyal those two were to Eren. Eren could wipe out the whole of humanity and those two would still be on his side. Their loyalty was quite admirable to be fair. "But you never know who might be listening, no matter how careful you are, and the last thing we need is for someone to start blabbering about our arrangement."

"I suppose so," Eren gave in reluctantly, furrowing his eyebrows. "But I can tell them when Miss Zuschauer is gone?"

The captain waved his hand lazily. "Be my guest," he drawled. "Once she's gone, that organisation won't care what we're doing anyway."

"All right," Eren smiled before he wrinkled his nose slightly. "Eh, was there anything else you needed me for then?"

"No, you signed the contract, I explained everything, so you're dismissed for now," Levi told him, unlocking the top drawer of his desk to retrieve the paperwork he hadn't been able to finish before he had to leave with Erwin.

When he looked back up, Eren was hovering next to his chair with a weird look on his face. "What? Do you have any questions left?"

"Are you going to be eating with us, sir?" Eren asked out of the blue before he added with an embarrassed smile, "I don't know whether Miss Zuschauer expects us to do something special during our meals, but …"

"She'll probably expect us to sit next to each other at the very least," Levi sighed irritated, plopping the stack of paperwork in front of him and snatching his pen up. "But for tonight you don't have to worry about that. I have quite some paperwork left that I still need to finish, so I won't be joining you in the hall. I'll eat here. Don't worry, your new 'normal' won't start until tomorrow," he sneered, opening the first file.

"Oh, eh, okay. I'll leave you to it then, Captain," Eren mumbled and left the room, his hasty footsteps echoing in the corridor.

Shaking his head, Levi turned his attention to the first document. He'd never thought he would say this, but for the first time he was grateful for the thick pile of paperwork awaiting his attention.

At least for a couple of hours he wouldn't think about how screwed up everything would become very soon.

* * *

He had just exited the kitchen – his paperwork had lasted far longer than he had expected and so his dinner had become a very late meal – when he was accosted by Zuschauer.

"Any reason why you're holding me up? I was about to go to sleep," Levi said mildly, but he couldn't help the small note of irritation seeping into his voice. It was late, he was tired and he just wanted to go to sleep now and ignore his new reality for just a bit longer.

"I noticed you didn't eat dinner with us – with your Companion," Zuschauer said cautiously, biting down on her lower lip. She was clutching some kind of small notebook against her chest and he wondered idly whether she would be using that notebook to detail his interactions with Eren.

He raised an eyebrow. "I thought I wouldn't even notice you were here?" he reminded her silkily, throwing her own words back in her face.

She flushed, looking cowed, but she still didn't back down. "You won't, I promise," she reassured him hastily, clenching her arms tighter around her notebook. "It's just that I couldn't help but notice you weren't at dinner tonight and - "

"I don't know which people you shadowed before, Miss Zuschauer," he drawled, interrupting her. "But as captain of the Survey Corps, I still have obligations to fulfil, one of which is completing paperwork. I told Eren he could eat on his own tonight and I'd join him tomorrow. He's my Companion, so I get to decide what I do with him, no?"

"Of course you do, like you said, he's your Companion, so you have every right to decide whether you eat with him or not," she stammered, becoming redder and redder.

"Exactly. My Companion, my decisions," he said coolly. "Good night."

He walked straight past her, leaving her alone in the dark corridor; the only light source there being a thin candle on the wall.

As he climbed upstairs, back to his office which had a bedroom adjacent to it, he heard thunder rolling in the distance. Raindrops were splattering apart against the windows and on the roof; an uneven rhythm as the storm built up momentum. It was a good thing they had arrived at the castle today; camping out in this shit weather wouldn't have been pleasant.

His office was completely dark when he opened the door, but he didn't bother lightening any candles. He wouldn't be spending any more time here and he knew the layout of the place well enough that he could walk to his bedroom without tripping or stumbling against furniture.

The door to his bedroom swung open soundlessly – Eren had apparently been thorough enough in his cleaning that even the hinges didn't squeak anymore – and he stepped inside, looking up right as a flash of lightning cleaved the midnight sky in various pieces.

There was someone standing in front of his bed.

The time in the Survey Corps hadn't taken away years of survival instinct ingrained in him from his time spent in the underbelly of the world. He retrieved his butterfly knife from his boot and pressed it against the person's neck, slamming him down on the bed. All this in just a couple of seconds. Pressing his knee right into the mysterious person's sternum, he leant forwards, putting more pressure on the throat.

"Captain?" the other person choked out surprised; his hands held out in the air like they wanted to push him away, but didn't at the same time.

Levi blinked and scowled when the voice registered. With an annoyed hiss, he pulled back, putting his knife back into his boot and stepping away from the bed. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Eren?" he snapped. "Did all that shifting mess with your head?"

Rubbing his throat, Eren sat up slowly, blinking up at him with large eyes. "Sorry, sir, I should have lit a candle," he apologised, as if that was the only thing wrong with this situation.

"How about you shouldn't be in my bedroom to begin with?" Levi suggested sarcastically and crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"Sir, since I'm now your Companion – "

"Were you deaf when I explained to you what would happen?" Levi interrupted him sharply. "We'll act like the perfect Companion and Enquirer in front of Zuschauer until she goes back and that's it. There's no reason for you to be here now. You're only a Companion in name, Eren, or did I not make that clear enough?"

"You did, sir," Eren said and this time there was a vague hint of annoyance in his voice; his green grey eyes sparking. "And I understood what you told me, but Miss Zuschauer stopped me when I was on my way to my room, asking why I was going there and not to your room. I tried to explain you don't really like people in your room, but she wouldn't listen."

He shrugged wearily. "Figured it'd be easier if I just pretended to pick up some of my stuff before coming here. She only left when I was about to enter your room."

"God damn it," Levi hissed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Zuschauer might look like a demure, weak woman, but she clearly wasn't about to let herself be fooled. He had counted on her being too intimidated to really push them together. That was what he got for underestimating her, he supposed.

"I apologise, Captain. I know this isn't what you want, but I didn't have much of a choice," Eren muttered; the fire in his eyes dying out. "If I had kept refusing, she might have thought something was up."

"She probably would have thought that, yes," Levi murmured disdainfully.

"So, eh, I guess I don't have much choice but to stay here," Eren said hesitatingly and licked his lips. "I made sure to shower thoroughly, even under my nails. Look." He offered his hands, holding them out in the small beam of moonlight which had broken through the cover of the heavy clouds.

Levi looked and snorted; a tendril of amusement curling up in his stomach. "It's much appreciated," he said dryly. It actually was; if he was stuck with Eren in his bedroom, he didn't want the boy stinking to the high heaven.

"How do you want to do this, sir?" Eren asked awkwardly, rising up from the bed and shifting with his feet. Despite being taller than the black haired man, he somehow appeared smaller in that moment; his shoulders hunched slightly as if he was expecting a berating.

"We can't bring in a second bed, because Zuschauer will most likely notice that," Levi said pensively, narrowing his eyes as he stared at his own bed.

He thought about sending Eren back to his own room after making sure that Zuschauer was gone, but that would be a hassle every night and they might get caught. A chair would be too uncomfortable – not to mention, the ones present in the castle creaked too much and he didn't fancy hearing that annoying noise every time Eren shifted a bit. He couldn't let the boy sleep on the floor either …

"Eren," he said slowly and the brunette immediately straightened out, giving him his full attention. "Were the sleeping bags properly stored away?"

Eren tilted his head to the right, frowning slightly. "I think they've been put in the closet on the fourth floor," he replied. "Yeah, Ymir was the one who put them away."

Levi nodded, stepping aside so he wouldn't keep blocking the door. "All right, go retrieve one. You can sleep in one here. We'll just have to make sure it's put away properly when we're not here."

"Yes, sir!"

As Eren disappeared out of the room to go to the upper floor, Levi retrieved his bath supplies and went to the bathroom at the end of the corridor. It being so late at night, there was nobody else here and he could take a shower without being disturbed. He washed himself thoroughly, scrubbing hard as if he could remove not only the dirt and sweat he had accumulated over the past few days, but also the invisible traces of filth he felt at being an Enquirer now, the revulsion coating his mouth with a bitter taste.

It didn't matter that he wasn't planning on actually using Eren as his Companion – the fact that he had been forced to take him on as one was already bad enough of its own.

Sure, he could have left Eren to the mercy of that guy … But he knew himself well enough that he would never be able to live with himself if he had let that happen. He didn't care about a lot of people – losing Isabel and Furlan had taught him the hard way that caring about others in this world was dangerous. Losing them had been hard on him and his walls – ones which had already existed before, but had allowed Isabel and Furlan to get behind them – had been raised even further after their deaths, resembling the physical walls keeping them inside.

That oblivious brat was one of the very few who had managed to find a crack in those walls and slip past them. Levi didn't know why. Maybe it was because Eren reminded him of himself somewhat, with his passion and dark obsession to eradicate every Titan in order to be free. There was barely restrained fury in that boy, ready to be unleashed at the drop of a hat and Levi admired that. Most people lost their will to live after a while, going through the motions of daily life because they didn't know anything else. Not Eren, though.

Eren wanted to destroy every Titan, break through the walls humanity had sheltered behind for centuries, recover the freedom only their ancestors had tasted. He stood up after every beat down, refusing to surrender. He kept fighting and Levi couldn't help but respect that.

And because he respected that, he couldn't let anyone else douse that fire. Levi might be Humanity's Strongest, but Eren was Humanity's Last Hope and Levi wouldn't allow anyone to taint him, wouldn't stand for anyone destroying that fierce spirit.

If that meant becoming the boy's Enquirer – that was a small price to pay.

He had done worse things in the past.

* * *

Eren was rolling out the sleeping bag next to the bed when Levi walked into the bedroom again.

"I took the least smelly one in the closet, sir, but I'm going to air it out tomorrow together with the rest so that it won't attract attention," Eren informed him, busying himself with fluffing up his pillow.

"That's a good idea, Eren," Levi muttered as he walked to the small closet in the right corner of the room to grab new sleepwear. "The last thing I need is my bedroom filled with the stank of sweaty feet and body odour."

"I don't think anyone would want …"

Levi turned his head when he heard the brunette trail off and raised an eyebrow at the weird look plastered on Eren's face. The boy was staring blankly at his chest as if he had never encountered a bare chest before. Levi would seriously doubt that considering all recruits had to take showers together.

"I took a shower if that's okay with you," he remarked bored and removed the towel from around his waist, dropping it in the basket next to the closet.

Instantly Eren looked away, appearing embarrassed for some reason. "Of course! Eh, not that you need my permission to do that, sir," he fumbled, becoming so red that Levi could see it even with the small light available. "Because you're the Captain and my superior and there's no reason why – you know what? I'm just going to shut up now."

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," Levi agreed wryly and changed into a new pair of briefs and a shirt. "Never seen someone naked before, Yeager?"

"Of course I have! I took showers with the rest, but none of them looked like, like …" Eren seemed lost for words and Levi decided to take pity on him.

He was tired anyway and not in the mood to figure out what the hell Eren was trying to say anyway. "Now that we've established that your sister didn't keep you entirely isolated from society," he ignored Eren's embarrassed squawk, "let's get some sleep. We're going to need the rest if we want to deal with Zuschauer's bullshit."

He walked around Eren and got into the bed, pulling the sheet over him. Below him on the floor, there was the whispering of the sleeping bag as Eren laid down and made himself comfortable.

Silence fell in the room and Levi closed his eyes, hoping to catch at least a couple of hours of sleep tonight. He doubted he'd be able to tolerate Zuschauer any better with several hours of sleep behind him, but he might be less inclined to snap at her at least.

"Good night, Captain."

The words were spoken so softly, he wasn't certain at first whether Eren had actually spoken. Opening his eyes, he leant over the bed and looked straight into sleepy eyes, looking more black than green now in the dark room.

Shaking his head lightly, he laid back down and sighed softly. "Good night, Eren."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: I know nothing dramatic happened yet, but I figured I had left you all waiting long enough. And hey, this also means the story will be longer than expected LOL
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Many apologies for the delay! This chapter was giving me a bit more trouble than I anticipated *winces*
> 
> Thanks for the comments and the kudos! I'm happy to see this story already passed a 100 kudos!
> 
> Warnings: smidgen of violence; nothing really in particular
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan. Hajime Isayama owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 3_

"Oi, Eren, wake up."

The boy let out an inelegant snort and scrambled up, arms already moving into the standard greeting before he had even opened his eyes. When they opened, he stared blearily at the older man, blinking rapidly a couple of times. "Sorry, sir, did I snore?"

"If you did, I would have kicked you out immediately, Zuschauer or no Zuschauer," Levi retorted, rolling his shoulders.

"Oh." Eren paused, lowering his arms. His eyes darted across the room, alertness brightening them. When his gaze fell on the window, he drew his eyebrows together. "It's still dark outside."

"Astute observation," Levi said dryly. "Considering it's six fifteen and late autumn, don't expect the sun to be up already."

Instantly Eren whipped his head around and stared at him incredulously. " _Six fifteen?_ " he squeaked. "Why are we awake so early?" He sounded appalled as if Levi had done him a great misdeed.

"So that we can take a decent shower without other people hogging the bathrooms," Levi explained and raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would appreciate having hot water instead of having to deal with the lukewarm version around eight."

Eren pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Oh yeah, I suppose that would be better," he muttered, not entirely convinced. His hair resembled a bird's nest; an appearance not helped when he ran his hands through it. Green grey eyes looked down at the sleeping bag. "Ehm, where should I put the sleeping bag, sir?"

Rubbing his hands over his face, Levi thought about a suitable hiding place. It had to be somewhere nobody else would think of looking at nor a place where someone could stumble across it accidentally. That only left very few places. "Stuff it in the closet," he decided after a moment. "There should still be some space left at the bottom of it. You can take it out later when you're airing out the rest."

"All right, sir." Eren bent down and made quick work of rolling the sleeping bag into a cylinder shape.

As Eren stuffed the bag at the bottom of the closet, Levi rose up from the bed and stretched his arms. "Seeing as you're there anyway, grab me my clothes."

"Yes, sir!" There was a rustle of fabric as the younger man set about collecting fresh clothes.

Levi was just checking the watch he kept on the rickety nightstand when Eren asked in a weird tone, "Ehm, your underwear too, sir?"

The older man paused for a moment, struck by the sheer stupidity of the question. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he said annoyed, "Yes, Eren, my underwear too. I don't care whether you go commando or not, but I don't prefer getting my dick caught between the zipper. Unlike you I don't heal instantly."

"I can't touch your underwear!" Eren squawked indignantly.

Slowly Levi turned around, taking notice of how red the boy's cheeks had turned. "Unless you suddenly lost all your motor skills, you can give me my underwear. Just pick it up, Eren," he retorted impatiently. If they kept arguing for much longer, Hange might actually beat them to the showers and that was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

"I can't do that!"

"Why the hell not?!"

"Because it's your underwear!"

"Oh for fuck's sake! I'm not asking you to touch a pair of knickers! Just give me my clothes, underwear included, you moron. We have the exact same body parts, so I don't know why the hell you're making such a big deal out of nothing."

"Because you're the captain! I can't touch your underwear, that wouldn't be right!" Eren spluttered, his face so red he resembled a tomato. He was clenching the bundle of clothes tightly, wrinkling them, and he absolutely refused to look at the underwear drawer.

What the fuck was wrong with this kid? He'd only asked for some fresh clothes!

"Eren, so help me, if you don't give me my clothes, _including my underwear_ , right this instant, you'll spend the entire morning with Hange extracting my boot from your arse," Levi said lowly.

A complicated, loud noise of frustration escaped the brunette but he swiftly bent down and snatched a fresh pair of underwear from the drawer, throwing them on the bundle of clothes as if it was on fire. He thrusted out his arms, offering the clothes to Levi, and _that idiot actually had his eyes closed._

Levi started to wonder just how sheltered Ackerman had kept her friend.

As soon as Levi had taken the clothes from him, Eren's eyes shot open and he shuffled towards the door, pointing at it. "I'm just – going to get some clothes then and take a shower too," he mumbled awkwardly; his cheeks and neck still dyed a deep red.

"You do that. It's probably for the best you move some clothes in here for as long as Zuschauer stays," Levi said, deciding to ignore the weird exchange that had just occurred. "Getting down to your room every morning just to get some clothes is a waste of time and you'll only be disturbing your roommate."

"Armin wouldn't mind," Eren replied, shrugging. "I think he'd be more concerned about how early I'm up."

Grey eyes peered at him. "If you act this fucking weird every time you wake up early, I can see why he'd be concerned," he grunted.

Flushing again – really, was that kid trying to impersonate a fucking tomato? – Eren started stammering some sort of explanation, but Levi waved him off.

"Just go before the hot water's gone. If I have to deal with Hange's whining because you made us both late, I'm sicking her on you," he threatened. And he would. He had no qualms about doing that if it meant instilling in Eren the lesson to be on time before crazy weirdos would take over the place.

A look of horror passed Eren's face – probably remembering the time he had made the grave mistake of asking Hange about titans – and he hurried out of the room.

Shaking his head, Levi left the room as well, making his way to the bathroom at the end of the corridor.

A freaking pair of underwear. _Holy fuck_.

* * *

"Are you sure I can't tell Armin and Mikasa about the real reason I'm your Companion, sir?" Eren asked anxiously as he followed the older man downstairs to eat breakfast.

"Yes, Eren, I'm sure for the reasons I told you yesterday. Keeping quiet about it for a little while won't kill you." Levi rolled his eyes. Despite not knowing the two very well, he knew they would keep their mouths shut if Eren asked them to – he just couldn't trust them to be smart enough to talk about it in a place where nobody would interrupt them.

With Zuschauer seemingly intent on stalking him and Eren, he wouldn't put it past that pesky woman to start following Eren around once she noticed he wasn't at Levi's side. Case in point: last night when she practically bullied the boy into sleeping in his bedroom.

"I know, sir, but I still think it'd make it easier for everyone involved," Eren continued stubbornly. "Mikasa still doesn't like you and she'll most likely flip once she hears about the contract and - "

"I really don't understand what her issue is, but you seem to like me just fine," Levi replied disinterestedly, ignoring the spluttering and weird choking noises behind him. The brat should probably spent less time with Hange if he was taking over her weird noises. "I really don't care how angry your sister is going to be; she'll just have to suck it up. If she's smart, she'll realise it's better you're my Companion and safe than someone else's and being tortured within an inch of your life."

"I wouldn't exactly phrase it like that to her, sir," Eren said cautiously after a pause. They passed a bleary eyed Kirstein on their way, who halted his yawning to gape at them confused.

"Shut your mouth, Jean, before you swallow a fly. Of course as a guy related to horses, you're probably used to attracting flies," Eren said irritated.

That had Kirstein instantly shutting his mouth and he glared at the other boy. "Shut the fuck up, Jaeger," he snapped. "What the hell are you doing up so early anyway? Did Armin kick you out of your bed already?"

"None of your damn business, horse face. Pay attention to yourself first; your fly is open."

Throughout the entire exchange, Levi and Eren had made their way through the corridor, aiming for the staircase. With how loud their voices were, it wouldn't surprise Levi if everyone was awake now.

He was proven right when a girl's voice – maybe that Ymir girl? – yelled, "God, shut the fuck up already! Some of us are still trying to sleep here!"

"Maybe if you hadn't stayed awake so late with Krista, you wouldn't be tired now!" Kirstein must have looked down to check his trousers, because he cursed, "Fuck you, Jaeger, my fly's not down!"

"You wish you could have stayed up late with her!"

Eren cackled as they descended the staircase, leaving the shouting behind.

"For someone whining about having to wake up early, you're rather loud already," Levi muttered darkly.

"Well, I'm awake now," Eren pointed out. "I'm not going to stay sleepy the whole time."

"What a pity," Levi mumbled underneath his breath.

When they entered the dining hall, only Erwin was present already, drinking a cup of tea and eating some toast. In the kitchen area people were talking; most likely the small team Hange had gathered around her to study titans. That team consisted out of two women and two guys and they were the ones on kitchen duty this morning apparently.

As long as breakfast was edible, it didn't matter to Levi who was on kitchen duty; Hange was completely removed from the list, though. Only a titan would probably be able to eat the crap she thought resembled actual food.

"Good morning, Levi, Eren," Erwin greeted them with a smile. "Did you sleep well?"

Levi narrowed his eyes as Eren greeted the blond man in return. He didn't trust the way those blue eyes glistened and wondered warily whether the man knew Eren had been forced to sleep in the same room as Levi.

Given how he seemed to know everything about everyone even if they didn't want him to, that wouldn't surprise him.

He and Eren collected their own cups with tea and some toast with beans; Hange's team greeting them cheerfully before returning to the task they each had got assigned. The closer they got to the table where Erwin sat, the more Eren seemed to stall for some reason and Levi turned around with a sigh.

"What's wrong now?"

"Are you sure I shouldn't go sit at my regular table, sir?" Eren asked uncertainly; his fingers clutching his tray firmly.

"Erwin doesn't bite and I'm not in the mood to deal with Zuschauer already this early in the morning, so yes, I'm sure you're going to join me, Eren," Levi replied, trying to remain as patiently as possible, but fuck if the brat wasn't making that difficult. Hadn't he been clear yesterday that they needed to at least come across as a genuine Companion and Enquirer?

Sitting next to each other at a table was the least uncomfortable thing they'd probably have to end up doing.

"All right, sir," Eren muttered, sounding warily as if he was about to approach a sleeping titan instead of just Erwin.

They sat down with Eren at the left corner and Levi next to him. It took quite a while before the kid started to relax, but the longer Levi talked with Erwin – or more precisely let the other man talk and give the occasional grunt in acknowledgment – the more at ease he seemed to become, as if he finally started to realise that nothing bad was going to happen during breakfast.

There was a tense moment when Zuschauer entered the hall next, but she merely sat down at one of the smaller tables with her breakfast and offered them a nod before she started eating. She didn't appear to have her notebook with her now, but Levi would be a fool to assume that meant she wasn't paying attention to them.

As the minutes ticked by, more and more people started trickling into the hall, eager to eat before their training would start. Springer and Blouse were challenging each other to stuff as many baked beans as possible in their mouths while Kirstein and Ymir were still arguing with Lenz listening to them amused, looking petite and delicate between them. Braun was telling a sleepy Hoover something with Hange trailing right behind them, reading something in one of her notebooks. Mike was right next to her, steering her by her shoulder so that she wouldn't walk into something or someone.

Ackerman and Arlert were one of the last ones to walk into the room; Ackerman carrying a look of doom and Arlert waving his hands around nervously as if he was trying to calm her down while at the same time not daring to touch her.

Splendid. If Ackerman was already in such a foul mood now, she'd probably explode once Levi informed everyone of Eren's new status.

The clatter of plates and cutlery and the scraping of chairs being dragged back filled the room for a while as everyone settled down to eat their breakfast. Hange and Mike joined Erwin, Levi and Eren at the table once they had got their own share. Mike's nose twitched and he stared bemused at Levi before switching his gaze to Eren. Seemingly having decided that he didn't need an answer straight away, he started eating his breakfast, conversing with Erwin about a tactic he'd had in mind for a while now.

Hange, however, wasn't willing to let things be like Mike was and stared at them with wide eyes, curiosity brimming.

"What's my favourite titan shifter doing at this table, hm?" she asked, a large grin already unfolding across her face as she supported her chin on her hands.

"You only know two titan shifters," Eren remarked after a short pause, looking a bit unnerved by the intensity of her staring.

Levi couldn't really blame him. Even after knowing that crazy woman for years, he still got unsettled at times by some of the looks on her face.

"Two is enough to make one a favourite," she retorted, waving her hand haphazardly in the air, nearly smacking it in Mike's face. "You didn't answer my question, Eren." Her brown eyes, enlarged by her glasses, swivelled towards Levi and her grin grew sharper. "Or Levi for that matter. Fess up, what's going on here? Or are you just showing Eren's your favourite? Pretty sure everyone knows that already, short stack."

"I don't have something as ridiculous as a favourite, you idiot."

"Uhuh and I'm a direct descendant of the king," she said unimpressed.

"There's nothing wrong with having favourites, Levi," Erwin smiled; his blue eyes gleaming over the rim of his cup.

Eren's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets.

"Don't encourage her, Erwin," Levi snapped and became aware of eyes piercing a hole in the side of his head.

When he turned his head, he saw every pair of eyes trained on him; most just looked confused as they finally noticed Eren was not sitting with them. Arlert was frowning, his blue eyes switching back and forth between Levi and Eren, clearly trying to figure out what was going on. Ackerman was full on glaring at Levi; the knuckles of her hand stark white, clenched tightly around her fork.

"You're sure you don't want me to talk to Mikasa first, sir?" Eren muttered underneath his breath, pushing the last couple of beans back and forth on his plate, watching his sister nervously.

"What's going on, Captain?" Ymir asked curiously. She was sitting closest to the higher ups and supported her head on her chin. She appeared at ease, relaxed to the point of looking lazy, but her eyes were sharp and glinting. "Yeager getting preferential treatment?" she continued smirking.

Blouse started to whine. "What? Not fair! Does this mean Eren gets better food? Hey Eren, you don't mind sharing with me, right?"

"Just shut up, Sasha," Eren groaned, rubbing his forehead. He seemed to be doing his best to avoid Ackerman's piercing eyes.

"Why are you sitting there, though, Eren?" Braun squinted.

"Yes, Eren, why are you sitting there?" Ackerman asked; her voice deceitfully calm but her eyes burning.

"Just get it over with, Levi," Erwin murmured; mirth no longer shining in his eyes. "There's no point in keeping silent about it any longer. Especially with her here."

Zuschauer was watching the scene unfold with rapid attention; her hands neatly folded on her lap.

"Spill the secret, shorty!" Hange grinned, rubbing her hands together.

Gritting his teeth and resisting the urge to drag her to the highest tower and push her down from it, Levi turned back to the rest of the hall and said tersely, "Eren is sitting here because as of yesterday Eren has become my Companion."

Silence first, then several things happened at once. Ymir started laughing, nearly howling, as she slammed her fist on the table time and time again with Lenz trying to calm her down, throwing anxious looks at Eren. Munched bits of toast fell out of Springer's mouth as his mouth dropped open in shock – god, that was fucking disgusting to witness – and Blouse started choking. Kirstein seemed to have gone in shock, his jaw slack as he stared at Eren with blank eyes. Braun and Hoover just gaped at them and Mike blinked.

Hange started shrieking like a fucking banshee, jumping up and down in her seat and screeching unintelligible words. Arlert's eyes widened, comprehension dawning in them while Ackerman –

Ackerman lunged forwards; the desire to kill setting those dark eyes alight.

* * *

"It could have gone worse," Erwin commented, interlacing his fingers.

Levi glared at him, still nursing an ice pack against his bruised left eye. His cut lip throbbed faintly; the bitter taste of blood coating his tongue still. Ackerman hadn't been able to do more damage than that, but it had been enough to give him a splitting headache on top of the swollen eye and cut lip.

Only the utter shock and disbelief at actually being attacked by her had allowed Ackerman to get two hits in before he had managed to kick her off him and throw her down to the ground. Arlert and Braun had rushed forwards to hold her back when she had tried to attack him again and she had utterly ignored Eren yelling at her – "What the fuck do you think you're doing, Mikasa?! Are you fucking insane?!" – the rage plainly visible in her eyes making her blind for everything else but attacking Levi.

Levi had thought Eren had been exaggerating Ackerman's reaction – clearly he hadn't.

"I never thought I'd see the day someone could actually land a punch on you," Hange said, her tone full with amazement. She was sitting on a wooden chest, legs crossed, and her glasses on top of her head. She'd been the one to help Levi with the ice pack and had given him a wet handkerchief to clean off the blood.

"She's fucking insane," Levi muttered darkly, pressing the ice pack closer against his eye. The coldness helped, numbing the area around his eye, but it'd take a while before the swelling would go completely down.

"Well, Eren did say before she's rather protective of him," Hange quipped with a grin.

"There's being protective and there's being downright obsessive," Levi snapped, still pissed at the stupid girl. What the hell was wrong with her? He understood being angry, especially given how close she was with Eren, but to actually go as far as to attack him? He had honestly expected her to be more rational than that.

"Loyalty is hard to come by these days," Erwin mused. "You want to give her a punishment?"

Attacking someone of Levi's status would normally land the other person in jail. In a world filled with titans hellbent on eating them, there was no room for fights among humankind and anyone attacking a superior wasn't considered suitable enough to remain in the Corps.

Heaving a sigh, Levi lowered the ice pack and carefully prodded the skin around his eye. It still hurt like a bitch even with the coldness numbing it for the most part. "No, there's no point," he groused, glowering. "The Survey Corps already doesn't have that many members; we can't afford to lose another one, especially not given her skills."

"What if she attacks you again?" Mike asked, speaking up for the first time since they had retreated to Erwin's office.

"She won't," Levi said and that he knew for certain. "Eren's talking to her now. She might hate me, but she won't risk losing Eren over this."

"I hope you're right, Levi." Erwin raised an eyebrow. "The last thing we need is fighting amongst the ranks."

"She got me once; she's not going to get another chance," Levi said annoyed.

Hange clapped her hands, looking way too excited. "I never thought you'd get a Companion, Levi, so it's going to be interesting to see this unfold. Just make sure to not break him too much, hm?" Cackling wildly, she left the room.

"Perhaps it's best if you go back to Eren before Zuschauer starts becoming concerned," Erwin suggested, ignoring as always Hange's bout of insanity.

Dropping the ice pack on the desk, Levi stood up and scowled. "Yeah, I suppose that's for the best."

The last thing they needed now was for Zuschauer to become suspicious. God, he couldn't wait until that stupid bint was finally gone.

* * *

The rest of the day he was hyper aware of Zuschauer's gaze on him and Eren. She tried to keep herself in the background and would probably immerse herself into the actual décor if she could, but Levi's skin positively crawled with the weight of her stare. She never said anything or came close to him or Eren, but it was clear that she was studying them, watching the way they behaved around each other.

Perhaps her presence wouldn't be that horrible – oh fuck, who was he kidding? It was beyond fucking annoying, no matter how he looked at it – if the rest of the Corps didn't act so bloody awkward.

Mike had apparently decided to ignore the entire situation and that suited Levi just fine. Honestly he hadn't expected anything else from the quiet man. Hange was busy in her own lab, so at least during the day she wouldn't pester him.

The brats had training today and while they practiced the manoeuvres Levi ordered them to do, it was clear they were distracted. Whenever they were on the ground, they'd whisper to each other, throwing glances at Levi and Eren which they probably thought were secretive but were very obvious to the captain.

Eren was clearly uncomfortable with the whispers and the looks thrown at him, but he remained silent – something Levi was impressed with, given the boy's fiery temper. Still, the way the others eagerly gossiped, trying to figure out just what exactly Eren would have to do as Levi's Companion, only reaffirmed the captain's opinion that they couldn't be trusted with the truth. If they already had trouble keeping their mouths shut when they believed Eren was a real Companion, they definitely would let something slip if they were told the actual truth.

They wouldn't do it on purpose, no, but their mouths were too big and they had no sense of discretion.

Yes, best to keep quiet about this whole thing until Zuschauer was finally gone. Even if that meant putting up with their whispering, the furtive glances, the concerned looks Arlert kept throwing at Eren throughout practice, and the snarl constantly playing around Ackerman's mouth.

All those things, while infinitely irritating, were better than Zuschauer finding out the truth and taking Eren away from here.

* * *

"But Eren, you don't know what the hell you're doing!"

Levi halted right behind the corner and slowly breathed out. He'd been on his way downstairs, figuring he'd escape the tense atmosphere in the castle and take care of his horse for a while, but he hadn't expected to walk into what was clearly a private conversation between Eren and Ackerman, judging by the way she kept her voice low.

"Mikasa, don't start this again," Eren retorted, sounding both irritated and weary. "I know what I'm doing, will you lay off, please?"

"How can you just accept this?" Ackerman's voice quivered and a twinge of sympathy ran through Levi.

She might act batshit insane sometimes when it concerned Eren, but she clearly cared about him.

"I don't have much choice, you know that," Eren replied patiently. "Honestly, it's not that bad, I promise."

"He keeps touching you, keeps pulling you close! He's the captain, he shouldn't touch you like that!" Ackerman snapped back, her voice getting a bit shrill near the end.

"The rank in the army doesn't matter when it comes to Companions, Mikasa." That was Arlert, sounding like he had rehearsed that answer several times already. "The higher ups are the ones who can choose a Companion, so the relationship can't be considered as inappropriate."

"I know that!" she growled. "That doesn't make it any better! That midget doesn't have any right to touch you, especially not after what he did to you!"

"I already explained to you several times before that he had to do it, Mikasa," Eren snapped, loosing his cool. "The Commander asked him to; it's not like he enjoyed doing it. Besides if he hadn't done that, I wouldn't be here now and you know that! He fucking saved my life that day, Mikasa, so can you please stop fucking harping about it?!"

Silence rang loudly as the echoes of his words died out in the corridor.

Levi couldn't help but grimace when he heard a gross sniffling sound. Fuck, was Ackerman actually crying now?

"I'm just worried about you, Eren," she said miserably, her voice small and no longer carrying any trace of fury. "I know what Companions have to do and I don't want you to be forced to do anything like that!"

"I know you're worried, Mika, but I promise I'll be fine," Eren said, his voice growing more gentle; affection audible when he addressed her with a nickname. "Trust me, there are worse things than being the Captain's Companion."

She sniffled again before audibly taking a deep breath. When she spoke next, her voice was steady, not a trace of tears left in it. "Fine, but if he touches you in the wrong way even for the tiniest bit, I'm going to rip off his balls, captain or no captain."

"That's – that's good to know," Eren replied faintly. "But you won't have to, trust me."

"I trust you – it's him I don't trust," she snarled and then their footsteps faded away, going deeper into the corridor.

Rolling his eyes, Levi continued his own trek to the stables. Eren might be the hot headed one, the brash one with the occasional anger management problem, but Ackerman was definitely the one with the most issues.

He pitied whoever would end up with her.

* * *

"Well, today wasn't that bad."

Levi grunted, pulling on his pyjama shirt. "Speak for yourself, you didn't get punched by your deranged sister," he spat; his proverbial hackles still raised after being stared at by Zuschauer for the entire dinner. He had ended up pulling Eren so close to him the boy had nearly ended up on his lap just to appease that bitch. Of course that course of action had ended with him being subjected to Ackerman's fierce glare again. At least this time she hadn't tried to punch him or rip his arms off.

It had only been the first day, though, and while they had got away with just the minimal touching, he wondered how much Ackerman would freak if he had to take things a bit further if Zuschauer decided to be even more annoying than she was already.

"To be fair, I did warn you, sir, that she wouldn't be happy," Eren pointed out and there was a trace of amusement laced throughout his voice.

Levi turned his head to glower at him. The brat was already dressed in his pyjamas, waiting near the sleeping bag – aired out this afternoon together with the others – he had just rolled out on the floor. "You're being awfully cheeky for someone who squeaked like a chipmunk when I pulled you closer during dinner."

"I did not squeak like a chipmunk! I was just surprised, that's all!" Eren spluttered; his face turning red with embarrassment.

"Sure, if that makes you sleep at night," Levi allowed sardonically and walked to his bed. "Let's sleep; Erwin wants to go scouting tomorrow morning."

"All right."

Fabric rustled and the mattress squeaked a bit as they both settled down for the night.

"Good night, Captain," Eren murmured, already sounding close to falling asleep.

"Good night, Eren. Oh and please inform your sister that she got the punch for free, but I'll crush her arms if she tries to rip off my balls," Levi said monotonously, ignoring the choking and spluttering noises his comment elicited.

They had survived the first day – hopefully they wouldn't have to suffer Zuschauer's presence for too much longer now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: Were the reactions somewhat in the line of your expectations? I hope so!
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me! 
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: I'm back and it hasn't been a month yet! I'm making progress! :D
> 
> Thanks for the comments and the kudos! We're nearly at 200 kudos already :O
> 
> Warnings: Hm, foul language, violence (it's set in the canon verse after all); I think that's it for now.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan. Hajime Isayama owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 4_

Zuschauer didn't go away quickly at all.

Every time Levi turned around or looked up she was there, hovering in the background and staring at him and Eren with those unnerving, wide eyes. He wondered what the hell it would take for her to finally fuck off and leave them alone.

He and Eren were practically attached to the hip nowadays, spending so much time with each other that the only moments they weren't near each other was when they were taking a piss or shitting. What more could she possibly fucking want?

"Well, I'd say it's because you're not exactly being affectionate with each other," Hange mused, tapping a pen against her chin. "Or you know, touchy feely in general."

"Nobody asked your opinion, Hange," Levi said irritated, glaring at the stack of documents in front of him. He was seriously considering the possibility that the higher ups were dumping more paperwork on him as revenge for not getting their hands on Eren.

Or was that paranoid? Whatever, being paranoid had never hurt him before.

"What are you even doing in my office?" he continued, switching his glare to the mad scientist straddling the chair in front of his desk. "Don't you have some fucked up experiment to perform or something like that?"

"None of my experiments are 'fucked up', Levi," she chided him, waggling her finger. "The eyes of that titan we disposed of a few days ago are being cooked right now, so I have some free time. Figured I'd visit my favourite grumpy boy!" She grinned; her glasses glinting in the grey daylight.

He stared at her. "Why the hell are you even cooking those?" he asked disgusted; his grip around his pen tightening.

She tilted her head to the right, looking at him surprised. "To see what kind of temperature it'd take to destroy them, of course," she stated, pulling on her ponytail. "I know fire has been tried before with not a lot of success, but that might just be because the previous attempts were working with fire that wasn't hot enough. If we can figure out the point at which a fire is strong enough to destroy the tissues of a titan, we could potentially come closer to a new weapon. I thought about using boiling oil, but really, that would only work decently on the top of the walls and we don't have nearly enough cauldrons for that. Not to mention for that to work, the titans would all have to be smaller and come close enough to the wall in order to get hit and I suppose given past events, that might not be so - "

"Eren, get here and help me with this paperwork!" Levi called out, cutting off Hange's rambling. If she kept yapping like that, his headache would only grow and that was the last thing he needed.

The door opened further and Eren's head popped through the gap. "You called me, sir?"

"Yes, come in and take half of this paperwork," Levi ordered, shoving half of the documents away from him. "I swear, this pile just gets bigger every week."

"Do I just need to sign them or so?" Eren asked uncertainly, drawing closer to the desk, but staying clear from Hange.

Levi couldn't blame him for that. He'd have locked his door if he knew today would be the day Hange decided to emerge from her makeshift cave.

"Yeah, just put your signature on the last page; that's all you have to do."

"Won't they notice it if the papers are signed by two different people?" Eren furrowed his eyebrows, but dragged another chair closer to the desk.

"They don't care who signs them, as long as they are signed," Levi grunted, grabbing his pen and throwing another one on top of Eren's half. "Here's a pen you can use."

"All right." Eren blinked, looking a bit surprised, but he sat down and flipped the page of the first document to sign the bottom of the second one.

Hange clapped her hands and stood up; her eyes glinting madly as she grinned, "Well, I'll leave you two alone then. Behave you two!"

The heavy book Levi threw at her viciously – one he had found in the castle, but hadn't opened yet – missed her by just half an inch and she ran out of the room cackling, probably returning to her lab to check on her disgusting experiment.

Grateful for the peace and quiet that descended upon the room once the crazy scientist had finally left, Levi bent over his own pile of documents, glancing quickly through the first one before placing his signature at the end.

That was how he handled most documents that he was forced to fill in: read just enough to get some kind of idea about the content of the document before signing it. Not the smartest method, perhaps, but he had figured out a long time ago that Erwin went over the documents himself after Levi was done with them. If Levi ended up signing something he shouldn't have, Erwin would just make it disappear. It was a system that worked and Levi wasn't about to change his manner of working any time soon.

"By the way, sir," Eren spoke up after a while. "Do you have any idea what's smelling so badly in Hange's lab?"

"You don't want to know, Eren, trust me," Levi said darkly.

He could swear he heard Hange cackling somewhere downstairs in response.

* * *

A few days later he was once again accosted by Zuschauer.

He had just finished cleaning the last room on the second floor and was making his way to the third one to check up on Eren's progress. For all that the kid had been a complete disaster at the start, he was swiftly improving and unlike the others, Levi trusted him to handle the rooms on his own.

He still checked up on him just in case, but Eren had clearly finally learnt the definition of ' _clean_ '. Levi wished he could say the same for the others. That Springer boy might actually manage to drown himself in a bucket of water one of these days.

"What do you want?" he asked irritated. He still needed to check the basement after this and he didn't trust Braun and Hoover to do a decent job with that one. Last time they had still missed several cobwebs. How the hell one could miss so many cobwebs – especially large guys like them – was a mystery that he'd really like to solve one day.

Clutching her ever present notebook to her stomach, she licked her lips and said nervously, "I was just – I couldn't help but notice that you and your Companion aren't very … erm, affectionate so to speak."

He raised an eyebrow and stared at her unimpressed. "I don't know what kind of people you observed before, Zuschauer, but I'm not exactly the type to fuck someone in front of an audience," he sneered and she flinched, taking a step back.

Still she didn't completely back down. "It's just that your Companion seems to be mostly cleaning and acting as some kind of secretary for you when he's not training and that's not exactly what a Companion should - " She cut herself off with a frightful squeak when Levi took a step closer.

"Eren's my Companion," he said lowly, narrowing his eyes. "I'm his Enquirer and I'm the one who decides what he does. If I decide he needs to clean the whole fucking castle, he'll clean this entire place from top to bottom. If I want him to sign some paperwork, he'll sign the bloody paperwork. If I tell him to suck my cock at night, he'll do that too. What Eren does during the day and what he does during the night is something I decide and not you. That's the whole point of the Companion contract, isn't it? That he does what I tell him to do?"

She stood there frozen and he sneered harder. No wonder she'd got some cushy job in the inner city – if she was already nearly wetting her knickers when he wasn't even yelling at her, she would never survive outside the walls. Fucking pathetic.

" _Isn't it?_ " he demanded with more force.

"Yes, it is!" she answered shrilly; her eyes shining with unshed tears.

He took a step back and snorted. "I thought so. Now get the hell out of my sight; I've got better things to do than to talk to you," he said contemptuously.

He watched her run away like a bat out of hell and shook his head. "You make a habit of eavesdropping on conversations, Erwin?" he asked idly and the door to his right opened completely, revealing the taller man.

"You were talking right in front of this room," Erwin pointed out mildly and crossed his arms. "You're playing with fire, Levi."

"Eren's my Companion; I don't need to listen to anyone telling me how I should use him," Levi spat, glowering at the other man.

"I'm on your side, Levi," Erwin reminded him and frowned. "But she's becoming suspicious and I don't know how long you can keep fooling her with your act now. They might send someone else in her place if she doesn't return soon."

"As if I don't know that," Levi growled, balling his hands to fists. "I'm not going to force him into anything, Erwin. I'm not going to be like _them_."

He wasn't going to be like all those others who took pleasure in abusing and raping other people. He had become Eren's Enquirer to prevent that fate from happening to the kid – like hell was he going to hurt the boy now.

"I know you're not," Erwin said infuriatingly calm. "And I'm not saying you have to act like one of them. You need to change something, however, before they decide to send someone who's not as easily intimidated by you as Miss Zuschauer is."

The dark haired man scowled at him, hating that he was right. "I'll figure something out," he muttered. Something that wouldn't push them both beyond their boundaries too much. "I need to check up on the cleaning."

Erwin smiled faintly, inclining his head. "But of course. I'll leave you to it." He disappeared back into the room which he had claimed as his temporary office.

Snorting softly Levi continued his way up to the third floor, which hopefully by now would be spotless. As he set foot on the last step, he caught the tail end of Kirstein's sentence.

"… don't care what the fuck you and the Captain do, but I really, really don't want to be bugged again by that woman, Yeager." Kirstein sounded beyond annoyed; his voice drifting through the hallway from the door on the left.

"You think I like being stalked by her?" Eren growled and there was the sound of something wet smacking against a hard surface. "Trust me, I'd love nothing more than for her to fuck off! Don't even know why you're complaining, horse face. She's probably going to be the only woman who'll ever give you the time of her day."

Surprisingly Kirstein ignored that sneering jab and retorted irritated, "Just fucking do something, Yeager! We're all fed up with her questions about you and the Captain – pretty sure even Ymir is contemplating throwing her to the titans at this point."

"Yeah, yeah, fuck off, will you? I'm not done yet here and I know that you screwed up your room again, so tend to that before the Captain sees it."

"There's nothing wrong with the way I clean, bastard!" Kirstein hissed and stormed out of the room, not even noticing Levi leaning against the door of the opposite room. He was still spitting some very explicative words, cursing Eren to hell and back when he descended the staircase.

A remark about his inability to deal with women didn't faze the guy, but a remark about his lack of cleaning abilities set him off like a firecracker? Levi thought he'd never understand any of the new recruits. A screw loose, every single one of them if you asked him.

Eren was cleaning the windowsill when Levi entered the room; a grey bucket next to his feet and a clean white cloth tied around his head, hiding his brown hair for the most part. His sleeves were pushed up, revealing bare forearms which flexed as he started scrubbing harder at a particular spot on the windowsill.

Looking around, Levi noted that the rest of the room was spotless; only the windowsill was the last filthy part left but Eren was attacking it viciously, obviously determined to get it gleaming like the rest of the room.

If only the rest of his team could be as diligent about cleaning as Eren was.

"You finished the other rooms?" he asked, stepping closer to the boy.

Eren started lightly and turned his head to glance at the captain. "Ah yeah, just this room and sweeping the corridor and then I'm done here, sir," he replied, dipping the cloth in the bucket before attacking the windowsill again.

"Good to hear." Levi nodded. "What did Kirstein want?"

He knew they had been talking about Zuschauer – and maybe he should seek her out and demand her to back off from the rest of his team, because she was getting very close to overstepping some important boundaries – but he wanted to know what exactly Kirstein had meant with Eren having to do something to deal with Zuschauer.

Pausing his cleaning, Eren turned around to face him completely and grimaced, shrugging half-heartedly. "Seems like Zuschauer has been going around, asking my friends whether they've ever caught us being, er, ' _close_ '." He wrinkled his nose, glancing away, but continued, "I think she's trying to find evidence that I'm not being an actual Companion, but my friends won't tell her anything."

Hm, it seemed like they weren't that oblivious or stupid after all.

"But she keeps bugging them and horse face's on my back to do _something_ so that she'll stop annoying them," he huffed and rolled his eyes. "Don't know why he complains, really, considering he's not being watched by her constantly."

"She accosted me on the second floor just now," Levi murmured, crossing his arms. "Trying to fish how intimate we are exactly."

"What's it going to take for her to finally leave?" Eren asked frustrated, his hand tightening around the cloth, squeezing excess water from it.

_More than what we've been doing now_. Pursing his lips together, Levi gave Erwin's words some serious thought. As much as he didn't like to admit it, Erwin was right in that Levi and Eren would have to do something to convince Zuschauer they weren't cheating the organisation out of a Companion. If they continued like they did now, Zuschauer would never become convinced and someone else might take her place to get some actual results – and that person might end up being even worse.

Fuck this all to hell, he hadn't signed up for this shit when he agreed to join the Survey Corps.

"How much experience do you actually have, Eren?" he asked bluntly. There was no way he was going to touch the kid in any kind of inappropriate manner, but they had to become a bit more intimate unfortunately.

Ackerman was going to have an aneurism for sure.

"Experience?" Eren repeated bewildered before his eyes widened in comprehension and he flushed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away. "Er, I've kissed if that counts."

Now it was Levi's turn to be surprised. With a sister like Eren's, he hadn't really expected the brunet to actually have some experience. That was interesting. "With whom?"

Eren waved his hand haphazardly and his flush deepened. "Er, it wasn't – it wasn't anything special. It was for a stupid dare some years ago."

"You kissed someone for the first time for a dare?" Levi wasn't a romantic by any means, but he knew that most people, even in the world they lived in, still considered the first kiss to be something special. Somehow he had assumed Eren would be one of those people.

The boy shrugged, wrinkling his nose. "It's just a kiss; was over quickly anyway," he said, plopping the cloth into the bucket for the time being. "Nothing special about it."

"Who were you dared to kiss?"

"Doesn't matter," Eren was quick to answer, but the way he steadily reddened piqued Levi's interest.

Was it someone of their squad? Was that why Eren was being so evasive about it when he'd just acted rather blasé about the actual kiss?

"Was it Kirstein?" Levi questioned curiously, wondering whether that was the reason behind this weird rivalry the two had going on.

"Oh god, ew, no!" Eren replied aghast, making retching sounds while bending over and clutching his throat. "Me kissing that stupid horse face? That's disgusting!"

Levi shrugged; the corner of his mouth tugging up in amusement. "Hey, it might explain why you're at each other's throat constantly."

"That's just because Jean's a bastard," Eren grimaced, straightening out. His hand left a damp print behind on his collar.

"Then who - "

"Doesn't matter," Eren quickly cut him off. "Why did you ask me anyway, sir?"

Every trace of amusement instantly evaporated and Levi pressed his lips into a thin line, mulling over his decision one last time. Well, it wasn't like he had much of a choice.

"Zuschauer's not going to fuck off unless she has some proof that we're behaving like a good Enquirer and Companion. In light of that, I think it's best if we show a bit more intimacy when she's around," he explained stiffly.

Eren swallowed audibly and his already large eyes widened even more. "Erm, what kind of intimacy are we talking about, Captain?" he inquired, voice higher than normal and that did nothing to make Levi feel better about what he was about to propose.

"Nothing too much, just a kiss here and there," Levi replied, shoulders tensing up unwillingly when Eren gaped at him. "I know this isn't exactly ideal," he added through gritted teeth, "but it's only until - "

"That's fine! I don't mind!" Eren said hurriedly, but the red colour had yet to leave his face and was actually steadily creeping down his neck.

"You don't mind?" Levi repeated sceptically, watching how the boy fidgeted.

"N-no, it's just like you said, sir – she won't go away unless we give her something and some kisses should be enough for her," Eren said, nodding even as his voice was slightly shaky.

Eyeing the titan shifter warily, Levi beckoned him closer. "Come here."

"Sir?"

"We have to make it look believable, so we're going to practice a bit now." The last thing they needed was for Eren to freak out or god forbid actually faint if Levi suddenly kissed him with Zuschauer near them.

She might be rather clueless, but she wasn't that bad and she would notice it if either of them acted uncomfortable during something as simple as a kiss.

" _You want us to kiss now?_ " Eren's voice reached another octave higher, sounding like his balls were being squeezed harshly.

Quirking an eyebrow, the dark haired man asked impatiently, "You think you'll be able to react normally if I kiss you out of the blue?"

Eren pulled a face, but didn't offer any form of protest, proving to the older man that he would have most likely freaked out.

"Thought so. Now come here, before someone starts wondering where we are," Levi said impatiently, holding out his arms.

For a couple of seconds it looked like Eren was ready to bolt, but then he drew closer to Levi, fidgeting with his fingers and his eyes shining brightly with something Levi couldn't name immediately.

He halted in front of Levi and the man clucked his tongue at the space still left between them. Eren was already taller than him, if they kept this distance between them, kissing would become rather uncomfortable. More than it already would be in fact.

He tugged the boy closer to him, ignoring the squeak that elicited from him, and slipped his hand around Eren's neck, holding back a grimace when he felt the slightly damp skin underneath his hand. The downside of cleaning was that one often got quite filthy and sweaty.

Shaking off the revulsion at the sensation of his dry hand against sweaty skin, he put pressure on Eren's neck, forcing him to lower his head more.

"Don't freak out," he warned the brunet before locking their mouths together.

He didn't remember much of his own first kiss. He'd never been one for a relationship, especially not in the environment he'd grown up in, but he did have some experience. Enough to acknowledge that Eren wasn't that particularly bad at kissing.

Sure, his lips were somewhat rough, chapped because of his habit to chew on his lips, and he obviously hadn't brushed his mouth, but it wasn't bad.

It was a bit pleasant actually, even with the way Eren's lips moved uncertainly against his, breathing hot and quick through his nose, and hands which clamped down rather firmly around Levi's waist; fingers digging into his sides.

When he pulled back, ending the kiss, Eren was staring at him wide-eyed, cheeks coloured red and lips parted, showing a hint of teeth.

"See, that wasn't so bad," Levi said, stepping back and forcing the other one to release his grip. "If we do that a couple of times, that should be enough to convince her."

He nodded to the bucket. "Once you're finished here, it's time to prepare dinner. It's your team's turn tonight."

"Yes, sir!"

The acknowledgement came out rather breathy as if the brat had been running for hours instead of just kissing someone else.

Shaking his head Levi made his way back downstairs, hoping he hadn't completely broken the boy. That would be difficult to explain to the others, after all.

Now he needed to find a sink to wash his hand. Hopefully next time he had to kiss the kid, he wouldn't be this sweaty.

* * *

It was supposed to be just a routine check around the perimeter, finding out how much distance they could cross before encountering a titan. The plan was to stop once they caught sight of one, not to engage it at all and just turn around and return to the base.

They hadn't expected to walk straight into an _entire horde_ of titans.

"Get to the trees!" Levi snapped, urging his horse to go faster.

They had their 3D gear with them, of course, but the less gas they had to waste, the better. Especially now that they had gone much further than they'd initially planned.

The ground shook and trembled underneath the combined stampede of their horses and the heavy footfalls of the titans running behind them. There were several five meter classes, but also ones of ten meters and even higher. They had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, leaving the group with no way to escape undetected.

"Captain, should I shift?" Eren asked, coming up next to him.

"No, best to wait until - "

But then a scream cut through the air and Levi whipped his head around, seeing Blouse fly away from her horse in a panic when a five meter titan reached out for her.

They were approaching the small forest, but the distance was still too large to provide immediate safety. Levi didn't like it, but considering how close the titans were approaching, they had no choice but to engage in battle.

"Spread out, get to the trees as fast as you can, but if necessary attack!" he barked out and a chorus of "YES, CAPTAIN!" echoed through the air.

"Eren, you can shift when you're ready, but concentrate on the biggest ones and take them out as fast as you can," Levi ordered and Eren nodded determined. "We'll take care of the rest."

"Yes, sir!"

"I'll take your horse, Eren," Arlert said somewhere behind Levi.

As the rest of them spread out, a loud explosion rocked the earth, filling the sky with a blinding light, before a ferocious roar rebounded in the air, making Levi clench this teeth. The next moment a giant arm smacked down a couple of feet away from Levi and his horse shivered underneath him.

Hopefully Eren retained enough of his consciousness to _not_ throw any wayward limbs on his comrades.

* * *

One by one the titans fell, either cut down by one of them or torn to pieces by Eren, whose rage had him whirling around the titans as if they were nothing but stuffed toys, forcefully detaching limbs and ripping open stomachs, innards spilling out like feathers out of a pillow, before he stomped their heads flat.

He was both a gruesome and an amazing sight, sprayed with titan's blood and his eyes glinting maniacally as he ripped through one titan after another.

They were in the forest now, taking advantage of the large trees to scale down them, swinging from one tree to the next one, cutting down every titan which wandered into the forest. They were incredibly lucky to have been ambushed near a forest, because if they had to fight without any trees or high constructions around …

After cutting down yet another titan, he flew up one of the trees, breathing harshly as he surveyed his surroundings. Ackerman was flying from one titan to the next one, cutting their necks efficiently and quickly; her face filled with nothing but ruthless determination. Blouse and Springer had just finished cutting down two seven meter classes and were replacing their blades on top of some branches. Ymir just finished cutting the neck of a smaller one while Lenz landed next to her, telling her something that made the taller woman laugh. Good to know that girl's moral wasn't brought down by the carnage happening around them.

Kirstein and Arlert were bringing the horses deeper into the woods so that everyone would have a means of escape after this was over while –

Terrified screaming had Levi whipping his head to the right and he cursed when he saw Zuschauer on the ground, apparently having tripped over a root, and instead of getting up and flying away, the stupid bitch was just scrambling backwards, trying to avoid the pudgy fingers of the small titan.

"God damn it!" He knew the bint should have stayed back at the base!

Shooting one hook into a tree closest to them, he hurried to her and snatched her off the ground right before the titan with its bulging eyes snapped his teeth down, catching nothing but some branches.

"Would you calm down before I drop you!" Levi barked, but Zuschauer kept shrieking and wriggling around, full blown panic completely taking over. "Zuschauer! Calm the fuck down before we - "

Too late. His wires got tangled and the next moment they smacked against a tree, falling down. Something in his foot cracked as they tumbled down on the ground – the one he'd already hurt before during his fight with the Female Titan, shit, shit – and pain flared up hotly, shooting through his body and he barely held back a scream.

"Captain!" Arlert landed next to him, staring at him worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Just fucking peachy," Levi grunted, shoving the hysterical bitch off of him. "Take her somewhere where she won't turn into titan food."

Her screaming had finally stopped, but now she was just staring ahead of her with blank eyes, breathing rapidly and rocking back and forth slightly.

"Is – is she okay?" Arlert asked, eyeing her warily.

"Hell if I know and I don't care either," Levi sneered, beyond pissed off at the woman cowering on the ground. Thanks to that stupid bitch, his foot was _fucked up again_. He could only pray it wasn't broken, but the way his foot protested fiercely when he carefully put it down on the ground – yeah, that wasn't very promising. Shit.

"Just get her out of my sight!"

"EREN!"

That name, yelled in such a frightful tone, had Levi's heart stop beating for a moment. Because the one screaming it was Ackerman and she was not one to get scared so easily. In fact the only other time she had sounded like this was when …

"Take care of Zuschauer!" he barked at Arlert and was already flying away before the boy could say something.

As he came closer to the edge of the forest, he saw just why exactly Ackerman was panicking so much.

Three fifteen meter tall titans were attacking Eren, ripping off skin and muscle. As Eren roared, his right arm was torn off, followed quickly by his left one. Eren bit down viciously in one of the titan's neck, but it was clear he was losing the fight, steam rising from every gaping wound on his body. His titan's body wouldn't be able to take the onslaught for much longer.

"I'll get him!" he yelled and Ackerman landed down on a branch heavily, her eyes wide as she nodded. "You and the others retreat now!" They couldn't keep burning gas and energy and there were more titans coming at them from the west.

Ackerman might be pissed off at him because of the whole Companionship thing, but she knew she could trust him to get Eren back, just like he had done before. He could only hope she and the others would follow his order to retreat before it was too late.

Ignoring how his foot throbbed and burned, he burnt more gas in an effort to get quicker to Eren, taking out one of the three titans before landing in Eren's neck. He made quick work of cutting the boy out of the steaming body, hacking off some fingers of a bald headed titan before it could grab them and draping Eren over his shoulder.

As Eren's titan body slumped down and started disintegrating, Levi flew away, back to the safety of the trees.

The sputtering of the cannisters had him cursing violently, realising grimly that he didn't have much gas left. He managed to land on one of the lower branches of a tree, thumping down heavier than intended and biting back a groan, he propped Eren against the trunk.

"You okay?" he asked, checking the boy quickly. He still had all his limbs and even his 3D gear had survived the transformation unscathed, which was good news because it wasn't like they were going to get much further with Levi's.

Green grey eyes opened slowly and for a few seconds they looked dazed, as if Eren had awoken from a deep sleep, before they sharpened and the brunet sat up straight. "Captain?"

"Good to have you back, brat," Levi grunted, wincing when he lowered himself down on the branch. "You nearly turned into titan food."

"The others?"

"Told them to retreat and they did."

Looking around, Eren stood up, brushing his hands over his trousers. "Shouldn't we go too?"

"We should, but my cannisters are practically empty and I don't know where my horse is," Levi admitted grimly, throwing the empty cannisters on the ground.

"We can use mine!" Eren instantly offered, checking his cannisters. "I haven't used these yet, so it should be enough to find our horses."

Grey eyes regarded him critically. "You think you can hold my weight?" Levi couldn't help but be sceptical.

Sure, it wasn't like he was fat, but he had more muscle than Eren and Eren hadn't flown with extra weight before. Now wasn't exactly the time to find out whether he could.

"It'll be fine," Eren said confidently, squinting down at the ground. "Or I could shift again and carry you like that?"

"No, you're not!" Levi snapped. "You haven't practiced shifting multiple times enough yet! If you fail now and turn into some kind of skeleton again, I won't be able to get down quickly enough to cut you out."

"Fine, fine, then I'll just carry you to our horses," Eren huffed, tapping the cannisters once before straightening out. "How do you want to do this, sir?"

Getting up again with only one foot to support his weight was not an easy task, but he forced himself to bite through the pain, knowing they couldn't stay here for much longer. "I think it's best if I - "

Something slammed into the tree, causing it to shake viciously. Caught off guard, Levi lost his balance and fell down –

Straight into the large, gaping mouth of a titan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: Apologies if the action scene sucks, guys. I've never been particularly good at writing those. (I'm not sorry about the cliffhanger, though)
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Look at me, posting it on time! I'm proud of myself :')
> 
> Thank you for all the comments and the kudos!
> 
> Warnings: Hm, some drama. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan. Hajimi Isayama owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 5_

His hands automatically shot down in order to operate his 3D gear, but of course they met nothing as his cannisters were empty and currently lying discarded on the forest floor.

As he kept pluming towards his inevitable death, he felt a strange calmness descend over him. So this was it then, huh? Surviving all those years in that hellhole only to be brought out into a bigger hellhole above – only to end up here: straight into one of those monsters' mouths he'd been determined to wipe out entirely one day.

Faith had a strange sense of humour if you asked him. What had been the point really? Why had he tried to survive for so long when he would end up in the same position as all those before him? Why had a part of him thought he'd been different after all?

Because he'd wanted to be different. He'd rebelled against the shit life had thrown at him from the very start. He hadn't been content to be like other people. He'd wanted _more_.

That desire was now proven to be fatal after all.

Resigned he closed his eyes and relaxed. _I'll see you soon, Isabel, Furlan_.

There was the whistling of the wind, something poking his back briefly before –

A deafening roar had his eyes snapping open and then the air was slammed out of him when he smacked onto something unforgiving. Gasping, feeling like he'd never get enough air inside his lungs again, he lunged forwards, but then whatever he had landed on – a titan's hand, he was sprawled across a titan's hand, _fuck, fuck, fuck_ – closed around him, forming a flesh like cage.

His heart skipped a beat and he could only stare frozen at the giant fingers curled over him like some kind of fleshy pillar. Was this how death would find him: crushed into a titan's hand until nothing but some splatters of blood remained? He honestly couldn't say which fate would be worse: being eaten alive, consumed in the titan's stomach fluids, or crushed to death.

And what about Eren? Fuck, what was going to happen to the kid with him gone? The only reason why the Survey Corps had managed to keep him within their ranks was because of Levi's promise to keep him under control. With him dead – would the nightmare start all over again for Eren? Who would find him first: the guy who'd been so eager to get him as his Companion or the Military Police Brigade? With Levi no longer there to protect him – what would happen to the kid?

Then two of the fingers parted slightly, and a single gigantic, green eye stared back at him flatly. For one quiet moment, the both of them – him and the titan's eye – seemed suspended in time as they stared at each other until the silence was replaced by a steady rumbling sound like one of those old engines and the fingers closed again –

Shutting off his only chance at escape.

"Wait, fuck!" He shot forwards, realising too late what kind of opportunity he'd just let slip through his fingers, but his leg buckled underneath his weight, pain flashing up worse than before and black dots appeared in front of his eyes, his vision blurring, and he crumpled down against a finger.

The pain was getting worse, his entire leg feeling like it was on fire; the flames crawling up towards his thigh, spreading out through his hips and licking up his spine.

The flesh coloured walls were dancing right in front of his eyes and he blinked, trying to focus, but it was a lost cause.

Right before he lost consciousness, he thought, _At least it won't hurt anymore._

* * *

He felt like he was drowning. Not in water, no, but in blazing heat; a fire which consumed him from the inside out and made him want to claw at himself, his nails digging deep lines into his skin, trying to create openings to let the pent up flames escape.

It didn't help.

The fire continued to rage, continued to eat him, never once letting him escape those blazing arms. They dragged him back every time, dunking him under, surrounding him, pouring into him to set him alight once more.

All he could hear was roaring. Maybe it was the rushing of his blood, but no, that couldn't be, because it was being boiled by the flames, turning into something which their ancestors once described to be as lava. Whatever the hell that was. All Levi knew was the all consuming heat, the ferocious roaring filling his ears, the pounding in his head as if someone was cracking his skull with a hammer.

He knew too well how that last one felt.

There was roaring and blazing heat and –

Sometimes he thought he felt something cool, tiny little spots, less than an inch, touch him and for those moments only the fire seemed to retreat slightly, hissing as if turning into steam.

Then he was pulled under again and he wondered how long he'd still had to endure this torture.

* * *

Snippets of conversation slowly trickled into his ears after a while, pricking through the strange haze which had fallen over him.

"… out of your damn mind if …"

"Listen to …"

"… your fault that he's now …"

"… I didn't think, okay! I'm sorry I …"

"You have no right to …"

"… he's not in a good …"

"… -ake it?"

"Not sure … pretty hefty … wait and see."

"What if …"

"… - trong. He's not going to …"

Something touched him again after some time had passed, but the touch was gone before he could even fully register it, snatched away before it could offer him relief. It stayed gone for quite a while, leaving him to suffer through the never ending fire, but then something else touched him almost tentatively; the pressure of it enough to distract him somewhat.

The sensation of being touched didn't leave him for a long time.

* * *

His ascend into consciousness wasn't gradual. Instead, one moment he saw nothing but darkness and the next one steel grey eyes snapped open and his body tensed, ready to lash out.

Quickly he became aware that he was in his bedroom, on his bed. So he hadn't become a titan's meal after all, huh? How had that happened? Had one of the recruits come back just in time?

Swiping a hand across his forehead, he grimaced at the tacky feeling of sweat coating his skin. Sitting up, he was disgusted to discover that he was practically swimming in his clothes; the material damp and sticking to his chest and legs. Had he had a fever? That must have been the case; why else would he be sweating and feeling like he'd been thrown off one of the towers?

He wanted to swing his legs from the bed, dying to take a bath in however long it'd been since he'd been brought back, but a dull ache in his leg stopped him just in time.

Glancing down, he furrowed his eyebrows and threw back his covers, studying the white bandages covering his leg from his knee to his toes. Right, his leg got screwed up again thanks to Zuschauer. Shit, how bad was it? Was it broken after all? God, he hoped not. A broken leg would leave him out of commission for a long time – time they couldn't afford.

Well, only one way to find out whether it was truly broken or not. Bracing himself, he shuffled closer to the edge of the bed and lifted his legs, preparing to put his feet down on the floor.

The door swung open before his feet could touch the floor.

"Captain, you're awake!" Eren rushed over to him, pushing him back down in the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'd feel better if I could get up," Levi replied, narrowing his eyes. The brat looked like he hadn't slept in weeks; the bags under his eyes dark against his pale skin. His hair resembled a bird's nest more than usual and he was dressed in a simple moss green shirt and black trousers. "I'd definitely feel better if I could take a bath. How long was I out?"

"Nearly two weeks, sir," Eren admitted, his hands still hovering above Levi's chest even as he took a step back, as if he wanted to prevent the older man from getting up. "Your fever was more severe than we thought."

"Clearly," Levi muttered. "Is my leg broken?"

"No, just a severely sprained ankle, but you got an infection which led to the fever," Eren explained, dropping his hands next to his sides. "You probably won't be able to put any weight on your foot for at least two more weeks."

"Oh joy." He glared down at his leg and his anger aimed at Zuschauer flashed up once more. If only that stupid bint hadn't been so fucking pathetic out there, he wouldn't have a screwed up ankle again. Just one more reason to loathe her presence. "What happened? How did I get here?"

For some reason that question had Eren turning bright red and he jerked his thumb at the door. "Erm, I'm going to get Miss Hange and the Commander. They need to know you're awake."

"What I need is to know what the hell hap – fuck it," he cut himself off with a scowl when Eren rushed out the room; his quick footsteps fading into the distance.

Couldn't Eren have at least helped him get into the bath first before running away like his arse was on fire?

* * *

"Looks like you're going to make a full recovery after all," Hange announced cheerfully, lowering the stethoscope. "Moblit, get some fresh bandages; we don't need another infection settling in. You want some painkillers too, Levi?"

"What I want is to get some damn answers," Levi snapped, crossing his arms and pulling his leg away from the scientist's hands. She'd been poking and prodding him for close to an hour underneath the watchful gaze of Erwin and he was beyond sick of it.

"Just the bandages then, Moblit," she snickered and her assistant nodded before silently leaving the room.

"What do you want to know?" Erwin asked calmly, sitting down in the only available chair in the room.

"How about how I apparently didn't turn into titan food?"

"Eren didn't tell you?" Erwin looked surprised; his thick eyebrows lifting up.

"If he had, I wouldn't be asking you now, would I?" the dark haired man sneered, slapping Hange's hand away when she went to poke his thigh again.

The blond hummed thoughtfully. "Well, apparently Eren transformed into a titan again to snatch you before the other titan could get to you. He got rid of the remaining titans and then made his way back to the base with you. By the time you two arrived, you were already unconscious. You've been bedridden with fever for nearly two weeks. You got us all really worried there, Levi." Blue eyes deepened and there was not a trace of amusement left in the older man's face.

Ignoring the remark about their concern, Levi instead focused on the part of Eren turning into a titan despite the fact that _Levi had explicitly told him not to do it_. "That dipshit actually went ahead and transformed again? I'd ordered him not to do that!" he growled, realising that Eren had been so quick to leave this room again because he'd known he'd get chewed out by the captain otherwise.

That little shit had actually gone and ignored his orders? Did that idiot have a death wish after all?

"You can't blame the kid." Hange shrugged. "What was he supposed to do, Levi? Watch you die? He did what he thought needed to be done – he made a choice and stuck to it. Isn't that something you taught him?" She looked at him knowingly and he itched to slap that look away.

"He's not supposed to take any unnecessary risks," Levi hissed through gritted teeth; his nails digging into his palms. "What if he'd failed? He would have died as well! There was no reason for him to do something so fucking moronic!"

"Why wouldn't there be a reason?" Erwin leant forwards; his hair casting a shadow over his eyes. "He saw that a comrade was in danger and reacted – we've all done that."

Grey eyes threw him a poisonous glower. "I'm replaceable," Levi answered coldly. "He isn't. Humanity needs his shifting ability and we almost lost that thanks to his stupid stunt."

Tilting his head to the left, Erwin murmured, "Have you ever considered that you're not replaceable to him? You're not in any way replaceable, Levi, not to Eren, not to me, nor to anyone else."

"Whatever. It still doesn't excuse his moronic decision to risk his life." Levi clenched his jaw. How could Eren have been so stupid? If he hadn't managed his full transformation, he'd have likely died too – and for what? Just to save Levi from being eaten? So many people died; that was a sad fact of life. Levi would have just been one of the many who'd lost their lives in the war against the titans. There hadn't been any reason for Eren to risk his own life like that.

Quirking an eyebrow, Erwin rose up. "One could consider your decision to save him from the titans eating him as moronic too," he remarked. "I was told you cut him out while there were three fifteen meter titans surrounding him and attacking him. That could have easily ended badly for the both of you as well, no?"

"That's different," Levi grinded his teeth.

"Is it really?" Erwin left the room before the other man could form a retort.

Fuck that giant, really. What did he know?

"He was really worried about you, you know."

Levi started, flickering his eyes to Hange. He'd honestly had forgotten for a moment that she was still sitting next to him.

"Eren," she clarified, looking solemn for once. "We could barely convince him to take a break. He kept insisting he needed to watch over you."

"Proves what a stupid brat he really is," Levi grunted, ignoring the way his stomach did an odd squirm at hearing that titbit of information.

"Perhaps," she hummed and the meaningful look she gave him unsettled him. "But it also shows how devoted he really is. You got something good there, Levi. Don't screw it up, please."

Levi snorted and lowered his head against his pillow. "You don't know what you're talking about, four-eyes," he muttered darkly, staring up at the ceiling.

Something good? The kid was just an idiot for risking so much for one person. Such devotion never ended well.

Something Levi knew all too well.

* * *

When Eren finally gathered his balls and dared to return to Levi's bedroom, he came bearing a tray with dinner and some strong smelling tea. The offer wasn't enough to quell the glare aimed at the kid and he kept his eyes down when he shuffled closer to the bed.

"Here's your dinner, sir," Eren said meekly, lowering the tray carefully onto Levi's lap.

"Finally got the balls to show your face again, hm?" Levi narrowed his eyes and picked up his cup. He eyed the tea warily before taking a careful sip of it. His eyebrow lifted in surprise when the strong floral taste of jasmine filled his mouth. What had Erwin promised the higher ups in order to get a hold of this particular tea?

Balling his hands into fists, Eren scowled down at the floor. "They told you about it, sir." His voice was flat and resigned, as if he hadn't expected anything else.

"Yes, seeing as a certain someone fled the room before I could get my answer." Dinner was just some slices of toast with some jam, but he figured that was reasonable, considering he hadn't eaten in quite a while and his stomach needed to adjust again.

"Sir, I just wanted - "

"You're a fucking moron, do you know that?"

This time green grey eyes glared down at him, sparking with a familiar fire. "Captain, you told me before that it was up to me to make the choice and I chose! I couldn't have just let you die!"

"What if you hadn't completed the transformation on time, hm? Did you ever think of that or can't your brain handle more than one thought at once?" Levi sneered and the tea sloshed a bit over the rim of his cup when he placed it rougher than intended on the tray again.

"But I did," Eren retorted tersely. "You're the one who taught me to make my own choices and not regret them. Well, I made mine and I don't regret it."

Levi stared at him, studied the look of sheer stubbornness on the kid's face, and realised that no matter what he said, no matter how much he'd chew out the other one, it wouldn't make much of an impression. Eren had made his choice and was determined to stick to it.

He was a fucking idiot and his blind loyalty to Levi would get him killed one day for sure; his luck would ran out eventually.

"Don't ever risk your life like that for me again," he said sharply, not ready yet to give in entirely.

Eren pursed his lips and didn't say anything, but the look in his shining eyes said it all: this was one request he would never obey.

God, why did he have to be stuck with such a reckless moron? Clucking his tongue, he jerked his head towards the chair. "Sit down and fill me in on everything I've missed while I was out. But first answer this important question first."

Eren had just been lowering himself into the chair when he froze and gawked at the older man with large eyes. "Erm, yes, sir, what's the question?" he inquired nervously, plopping down abruptly when Levi glanced meaningfully at his awkward hunched position.

Regarding the boy solemnly, Levi questioned calmly, "Please tell me there's still a sense of cleanliness left in this place even without my supervision."

Eren gaped at him for a few seconds before he suddenly burst into laughter, howling as he clutched his stomach.

The corners of Levi's mouth twitched a bit and he picked up one slice of toast. He'd actually been quite serious with his inquiry – he was somewhat apprehensive to leave this room and discover in what kind of a deplorable state the castle had been left in without him supervising those brats. He'd let Eren have this moment, though.

It didn't happen often that a soldier had cause for genuine laughter after all.

* * *

"Miss Hange said you can try walking around without the cane starting tomorrow," Eren informed him. His back was to the tub and he was busy folding towels after having cleaned the sink thoroughly.

"Yeah, I know, she dropped by this afternoon to tell me," Levi said absentmindedly, scrubbing his legs. He was a bit more careful with his ankle, but after two weeks of forced rest, he wasn't bothered by it anymore.

In fact if he'd had his way, then he would have already been walking around without that damned cane, but every time he'd tried, Erwin, Hange, or one of the brats had popped up to hand it right back to him. He'd had half a mind to whack them with it – some of the recruits must have read that desire on his face, because they'd always been quick to scurry off as soon as the cane was back in Levi's hand.

Tomorrow he'd finally get rid of this blasted thing, though, and he would be able to take baths in private again. Due to his screwed up ankle and his recovery from the infection and the fever, it had been deemed too risky for the captain to bathe on his own in case he slipped and fucked up his ankle even worse. Given the contract between them, it had made sense for Eren to be the one to help him in the bathroom.

The boy had been a blushing, stuttering mess at the start – it had been so bad that Levi had started to wonder whether the younger man had been trying to imitate Hoover – but fortunately he'd got used to helping Levi into the bath after a couple of days had passed. He still utterly refused to look at Levi as long as he was taking a bath, but at least he'd stopped looking like he'd pass out any second, so the captain considered that to be good progress.

Still, he couldn't help but question once more just how sheltered Ackerman had kept her friend. The first few days had been a repeat of the underwear incident all over again.

"I bet you're happy with that news, sir." Eren started putting away the towels on the shelf.

"So ecstatic in fact that I'll ram the cane up the arse of the first person who tries to push it back in my hands," Levi confirmed, eliciting a nervous chuckle from the brunet.

He'd finished washing himself, but the water was still relatively warm; it wouldn't hurt to linger in the water for a little bit longer. Tomorrow he'd be back to taking up all aspects of the training sessions again – he could hardly show new moves with the 3D gear when some of those moves relied on him pushing himself off a surface with his wrecked ankle – so a little bit of relaxation wouldn't go amiss.

For a while the bathroom was filled with nothing but the sound of the water gently sloshing about whenever Levi shifted slightly and the soft footsteps of Eren as he moved around, putting other things to order.

Watching Eren replace some empty shampoo bottles with new ones, Levi suddenly realised he hadn't seen or heard Zuschauer in a while. To be more precise: he hadn't seen her at all since waking up from the fever. Was she hiding somewhere in the castle?

"Eren."

"Yes, sir?" Eren shook a bottle back and forth; a contemplative frown on his face as he appeared to decide whether the bottle was completely empty or not.

"Where's Zuschauer holed up?"

The stiffening of Eren's shoulders piqued Levi's interest and he quirked an eyebrow. "I assume she didn't get eaten during our last mission." He'd be quite annoyed if his ankle had got fucked up for nothing.

"No, she didn't get eaten. She – she's actually not here anymore."

Levi paused, confusion making him furrow his eyebrows. "Where did she go?"

"Back to the inner city. Said she'd seen enough of us both and would inform her superiors that our contract is genuine," Eren replied haltingly; his hand still clutching the bottle.

"Huh. Just like that?" Grey eyes narrowed.

"Just like that, sir."

So Zuschauer was gone. After weeks of pestering him and Eren about their relationship, she'd just upped and left. Had their kisses convinced her? Or had she decided to take the cowardly way out and hadn't wanted to remain nearby when Levi woke up in case he got angry? She was pathetic enough to do that.

Well, it didn't really matter. He'd got what he'd wanted, hadn't he? Zuschauer was finally gone, they wouldn't be scrutinised anymore. They wouldn't have to pretend to be something they weren't. They could stop being on their guard every time they left Levi's bedroom.

Everything could go back to normal.

No Enquirer and Companion anymore. Just captain and subordinate.

Just as it should be.

* * *

Later that evening, he stopped Eren from rolling out his sleeping bag. "With Zuschauer gone, you don't need to sleep in my room anymore," Levi reminded him.

Green grey eyes stared at him startled. "Oh, erm, I – I suppose that's true," Eren muttered, staring at the sleeping bag in his arms like he was suddenly lost.

Nodding at the door, Levi said firmly, "I'll see you in the morning, Eren."

"Ah, y-yeah, erm, good night, captain." Eren threw him one last indiscernible look before he shuffled out of the room, the door closing behind him with a quick ' _click_ '.

Lying down, Levi stared at his ceiling and breathed out slowly. Zuschauer was gone. Everything would go back to normal. That was what they had wanted all this time. They were finally free of her and could return to how they were before.

Just like he'd planned from the start. They had fooled her and Eren would be safe from other Enquirers. All's well that ends well and all that bullshit, he guessed.

For some reason, finding sleep that night was a lot harder than it had ever been before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: Hey, at least Levi didn't die, right? *whistles innocently*
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Managed to finish the chapter on time, yay!
> 
> Thank you for all the comments and the kudos!
> 
> Warnings: Hm, nothing in specific, bar some small time skips
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan. Hajime Isayama owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 6_

When Levi stepped outside his room the next morning, he was surprised to see Eren waiting for him. The boy had been leaning against the opposite wall, but at the sight of the captain appearing in the doorway, he instantly straightened up and saluted him – something he hadn't done in weeks.

"Good morning, Captain," Eren greeted him formally and a hint of nerves flashed through his eyes. "I wanted to ask you something if you don't mind."

"Sure, ask," Levi said slowly, shrugging off the odd feeling of unsettlement at hearing Eren being so formal towards him. That was how they were supposed to be: Eren as his subordinate and him his captain.

"Er, with Zuschauer gone now, would it – be okay if I told my friends the truth?" Eren asked haltingly. "I mean, that you only became my Enquirer to – to keep me safe. Can they know about that now?"

"I don't see why not," Levi answered after a pause. "As long as they keep their mouths shut about it and don't spread it around. Zuschauer might be gone, but that doesn't mean this is something that can be freely talked about. The last thing we need is for word about this to get back to the inner city."

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" Eren nodded gratefully before he quickly rushed away, presumably to inform the rest of the brats about the actual truth.

Idly Levi wondered whether Ackerman would try to punch him again for keeping the truth from them. Considering her instability when it concerned Eren, it wouldn't really surprise him.

Closing the door behind him, he took a moment to reflect how odd it had been not to wake up to Eren's presence in the room this morning. He hadn't thought it possible, but somehow during these past few months, he'd grown used to having Eren near him. He'd become adjusted to hearing the boy's soft breathing when he woke up, to the way he dazedly followed Levi into the bathroom and down to the hall before he would fully wake up and they would start on their chores or training of that day.

With Zuschauer no longer trailing – or more accurately stalking – them, though, there was no reason anymore for the two of them to remain so close. The contract still existed, but only in written form – there was no need for Eren to act as a Companion anymore. As long as word didn't spread, they could go back to acting like they always had done and forget this whole Companion mess.

He never thought he'd say this, but it would probably be weird not to have Eren that close to him anymore – at least until he got used to it again.

"Ah, Levi, first morning without your cane, how are you holding up?" Erwin asked when Levi arrived at the first floor.

"Perfectly fine," Levi said crisply. "I warn you, Erwin, if you try to push the cane back in my hands, you won't like where I'll put it next."

"Understood," Erwin smiled, falling into pace with him. "Just making sure you're in perfect health again."

"I've been fine for the last two weeks, but you all decided you knew better than me," Levi snarked, descending the last step.

"Just looking out for you," the blond man chuckled and they entered the breakfast hall where the scent of scrambled eggs and toast curled into their nostrils.

"I don't need anyone to look out for me," Levi muttered, eyeing the hall in distaste. Clearly the group responsible for cleaning yesterday hadn't done their jobs. "Tell me, what's so difficult about keeping this place clean? Haven't I demonstrated enough times how they should accomplish that?"

Even with nearly everybody present at breakfast – Hange and Moblit noticeably missing, but that had happened before when Hange got too caught up in an experiment – there was no disguising the fact that the tables hadn't been cleaned properly nor had the floor been swept; crumbs from last supper still covering the tiles. Filthy animals, the lot of them.

When Levi went to the kitchen to grab his own breakfast, he was aware of the multitude of eyes following him; their gazes almost burning a hole in the back of his head. Ah, Eren must have told them already.

On his way to his table, he briefly glanced at Eren, who seemed wrapped up in a heated discussion with Kirstein; the both of them looking rather red in the face already. Arlert had his hands raised placatingly, which was a sharp contrast to the anxious look plastered on his face.

"Got to hand it to you, Yeager, you're a master at playing people," Ymir chortled, shaking her head thoroughly amused. "You've got some balls lying to someone of the inner city."

"It was really risky what you did there, Eren," Lenz said concerned, worrying her lower lip between her teeth.

"Well, he's not called a suicidal bastard for nothing," Kirstein sneered; his eyes flashing and his fork clenched tightly in his fist.

"Shut the fuck up, horse face!" Eren snapped; the flush in his cheeks steadily deepening. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about!"

"They're lively this morning," Erwin commented when Levi took the seat next to him. "I take it young Eren told his friends the truth behind the contract."

"Obviously he did," Levi grunted, taking a large gulp from his piping hot tea. He felt like he was going to need the caffeine in it if he wanted to get through this day.

"Captain?" Ackerman halted in front of the table; her face unreadable and her dark eyes blank as she gazed at the older man.

Slowly lowering his cup on the table, he said, "Yes, Ackerman? What do you want?" A quick glance behind her showed Eren still locked in a heated debate with Kirstein and he questioned silently why she wasn't there trying to break them up like she usually did.

"Eren told me why you decided to pick his contract," she said stiffly, clasping her hands behind her back. She stood ramrod straight, her shoulders tense.

He inclined his head silently, not seeing any need to expand on it. If Eren had told them the whole truth, she knew all there was needed to know.

"I'm here to – apologise for punching you," she continued through gritted teeth, looking like she wanted to be in any other place but here.

"You came to apologise," Levi repeated flatly, hiding his surprise at this unexpected development. She had kept her distance after that time she'd punched him, keeping to glaring at him whenever she looked in his direction. She had certainly not apologised for hitting a superior.

What had changed all of a sudden?

"Yes, I – shouldn't have reacted like that," she went on stiffly, pressing her lips tightly together before exhaling loudly. "You were only doing it to keep Eren safe and I … I apologise. I shouldn't have done that. Thank you for keeping Eren safe."

Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms. "You do realise that even if the contract had been real, it was none of your business, right? You're lucky you didn't appear in court. They don't take kindly to soldiers attacking their superiors," he said coolly.

She bared her teeth; her eyes glowing with a fire similar to the one he'd seen in Eren's eyes so often before. "I don't care. I'd _kill_ if that meant keeping Eren safe," she said and while her voice was soft, it held an undercurrent of danger. "I offered you my apology, take it or leave it." With that she whirled around and marched into the kitchen, adjusting her red scarf.

"She's a dangerous person to cross," Erwin mused aloud, spreading butter across his toast. "Even when apologising, she can't help but be insubordinate, hm?"

Levi exhaled slowly, picking up his tea again. "I've heard worse," he muttered. "Can't really fault her either. Loyalty like those three have towards each other is hard to come by these days."

"I don't know," Erwin said pensively. "I'd say you have - "

"YOU SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH, JEAN OR I SHUT IT FOR YOU!" Eren snarled, flying out of his chair and slamming his hands down on the table.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve, Yeager?" Kirstein smirked viciously, rising up as well. "What, you thought he'd actually want to - "

He was abruptly cut off when Eren lunged forwards, grabbed Kirstein around his neck and slammed him down to the floor where he proceeded to beat the shit out of the boy.

"EREN!"

Ackerman came flying out of the kitchen, but Levi was quicker. He jumped over the table and rushed towards the two fighting boys, snatching Eren underneath his armpits and hauling him off the bleeding boy underneath him.

"Eren, calm the fuck down!" Levi barked when Eren still struggled fiercely against his hold, nearly escaping it. At the sound of his voice – or the order – Eren released a shuddering breath and slumped forwards, all the fight suddenly drained out of him.

"Jean, you're okay?" Arlert asked worriedly, bending down next to Kirstein.

Kirstein sat up slowly, holding his hand against his nose. It didn't do much to stop the blood from pouring out, streaming down his chin and splattering down on his shirt.

"Get him cleaned up and bring him to my office afterwards," Levi snapped and snatched Eren's arm before the latter could even think of sneaking away. Narrowing his eyes dangerously, he hissed, "You are coming with me now!"

Eren gulped and his eyes briefly flickered towards the kitchen, avoiding Ackerman's accusing gaze, before he nodded resigned and followed Levi out of the hall.

At least the idiot wasn't that stupid to think he could outrun Levi.

* * *

Levi let Eren stew in silence in his office while they waited for Kirstein to join them. The boy refused to look at him, keeping his eyes lowered to the floor the entire time. At least here he seemed to be ashamed of his actions, which he rightfully should be.

He didn't know what the deal between the two boys was, but he couldn't have them rowing like that again. The last thing they needed after Zuschauer had finally fucked off, was for fights like this one to get back to the inner city. The Military Police would just love any excuse that would allow them to get their paws on Eren.

The implication that Levi couldn't keep Eren under his thumb would be enough to have the higher ups taking the shifter right out of the Survey Corps and handing him over to the Military Police.

He looked up when the door opened and Kirstein shuffled inside, scowling at the floor. There was still some dried blood smeared around his nose but he'd changed his shirt so that he didn't look like a stabbing victim anymore. He fell down heavily in the other chair, balling his fists.

"Mind telling me why you decided fighting was necessary? Or can't you digest your fucking breakfast without beating the shit out of each other?" Levi demanded harshly, crossing his arms and leaning against the edge of his desk.

"It wasn't anything special; just an argument that got out of hand," Eren muttered; his green grey eyes still fixated on the floor.

Kirstein pressed his lips tightly together but didn't refute it.

"An argument that got out of hand," Levi repeated flatly and the brat's shoulders hunched. "Just a stupid argument that made you want to choke Kirstein?"

"Nothing new there," Kirstein muttered mulishly.

Eren whipped his head around, baring his teeth. "Maybe if you weren't so stupid, I wouldn't feel the need to choke you," he sneered.

"How about you shut the hell up, Yeager, before I - "

"Do I need to remind you that you're still in my presence?" Levi asked coolly and that shut both boys up quickly. Looking from one boy to the other, he clucked his tongue. "So that's the story you're sticking to? An argument?"

"Yes, sir," Eren muttered and Kirstein nodded, though it looked like it pained him to agree with the other one.

"I can't have you starting a brawl just like that," Levi said annoyed, walking back around his desk. "This castle might only host our group, but that doesn't mean word can't get out either way. To make sure you're both going to remember how you actually need to behave as a soldier, you, Kirstein, will be mucking out the stables on your own and you, Yeager, will be responsible for cleaning the cellar and the last two floors all on your own. If I see anyone helping you out – and don't worry, I _will_ know – you'll wish they hadn't. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, Captain," Eren mumbled, looking properly chastised.

Kirstein looked ready to protest, but one warning look and he closed his mouth with a snap, his scowl deepening.

"Yeager, you can start on the basement now; Kirstein, the stables. Dismissed." He watched them trudge out of his office and was pretty certain their argument started anew in the corridor. There were no sounds of an actual fight, though, so he just rolled his eyes and sat down, rubbing his forehead.

Beating him to a pulp just because of a stupid argument, huh? _Yeah, pull the other one_.

* * *

"I've always known you were secretly a softie," Hange's annoying voice piped up.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Levi reminded himself again that killing one of their own, their resident scientist, wouldn't end well for them in the long run. Even if it was so, so fucking tempting to throw her from one of the fucking towers …

"You don't have any experiments to conduct or Moblit or even Erwin to bother?" he asked annoyed, placing his pen down. As long as she was here, he wouldn't get any work done, he knew.

"Need to wait an hour for the result of my most recent experiment," she answered cheerfully, entering the room without waiting for a welcome and dropped down on a chair. "Moblit is keeping an eye on it and Erwin is doing paperwork."

" _I_ am doing paperwork," he pointed out coolly, narrowing his eyes.

She waved her hand. "Yeah, but you didn't lock your door."

"And that was my mistake," he muttered darkly, making a mental note to keep his door locked from now on.

"So." She clapped her hands and leant forwards. "You, a softie. I knew it." Her eyes glinted rather maniacally behind her large glasses.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, leaning back in his chair in case she decided it was an opportune moment to grab him.

"Of course you don't," she snorted. "I'm talking about the fact that you became something you despise all to save our little Eren from the big, bad men."

"You know fully well what they would have done to him, Hange," he snapped. "Would you have allowed that to happen?"

"If we're talking about Eren, no. Someone else? I probably wouldn't have cared," she replied honestly and shrugged.

That was a rather cold answer, but he hadn't expected anything else from her. She might come across as cheerful and friendly, treating everyone as her friend, but when it came down to it, there were only a couple of people she actually cared about. Levi had become one of those people for some reason and it seemed Eren had been added to that small list as well.

"Then I don't understand the need for this conversation."

She cocked her head to the right, patting her index finger against her chin. "You don't? Hm, well, I just thought it was interesting how devoted you were to your pretend role."

He glared at her. "Again what's your point?" he asked through gritted teeth. "I had to be convincing in order to get Zuschauer off our backs, didn't I?"

"True, I'm just surprised you managed to be _that_ convincing," she hummed; a strange gleam in her eyes. "You had a lot of us fooled with your 'pretence'."

"Then I did my job well. Fuck off now if you don't have anything useful to say."

For a moment she studied him intensely before a knowing smile bloomed across her face and rapped her hands against her thighs. "Ah, you're going to play it like that. I see."

"Who's playing like what, you weirdo?"

She tutted her lips before jumping up and striding towards the door. Before she left, she said, "Just so you know, it's thanks to Eren that Zuschauer left."

"What are you talking about?" He frowned. Hadn't Eren said that Zuschauer had decided she'd seen enough? How was the kid involved in her leaving?

"Let's just say that Eren was … less than happy when he heard how you'd got hurt," Hange snickered, gripping the doorknob. "I guess he thought Zuschauer had overstayed her welcome after that. They got into a row when you were out of it and she decided it would be prudent – and safer – if she left before you woke up."

"What the hell did that idiot do?" Levi hissed, shooting up. Fuck, that idiot couldn't have been so stupid as to antagonise Zuschauer, right? He'd thought they were finally left alone, but what if Zuschauer had complained to her boss and they would send someone else all because Eren had to be a fucking moron?

"Calm down," she drawled. "She's gone for good; she's not going to blab her mouth about what Eren told her, trust me."

"You know, that doesn't actually set me at ease. What did he tell her?" He eyed her warily, wondering why Erwin hadn't informed him about a confrontation between Eren and Zuschauer. Something that could jeopardise their entire team was something he'd like to be in the know of!

"Hm, he just made it quite clear that it would be better for her to leave after everything that had happened," she replied and sounded greatly amused as if she was enjoying reliving the memory.

There was something about the way she looked at him, though, that set him on edge. "Where are you going with this?" he asked suspiciously.

"Not really anywhere. Just that both you and Eren would make some pretty good actors," she answered vaguely before practically skipping out of the room, letting the door swing shut behind her.

He stood there staring at the closed door for a moment, questioning silently just what the fuck had just happened. He'd never claimed to completely understand Hange, but usually she made a lot more sense than she had done now.

Had the fumes of her experiments got to her head?

"Fuck it, I don't have time for this shit," he grumbled and sat back down. If Hange wanted to be weird, fine, but he wasn't going to allow her to distract him.

He picked up his pen again, intend on reading the last part of the page so that he could sign it, and paused.

Right, before signing it he was going to lock the door first. Just in case Hange decided she hadn't bothered him enough yet.

* * *

"You're shitting me," Levi said flatly, staring at the older man in disbelief.

Outside thunder rolled before being followed closely by a crack of lightning; a fitting atmosphere for this conversation if he was feeling particularly theatrical.

"I'm afraid not," Erwin said lightly, but the way his thick eyebrows were furrowed proved that he was bothered by it too. "They'll be arriving in two days if the weather allows it."

"How long are they staying?" Levi demanded, nails digging into the leather arms of the chair.

"A week. Long enough to exchange new ways of training." Blue eyes deepened. "A week isn't long, but Levi - "

"It's long enough for word to get back if they think something isn't right," Levi grunted in acknowledgement, clenching his jaw.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. He'd thought they were finally in the clear, but of course life never was that kind to him. Two months after Zuschauer had left, a group of six soldiers from the Military Police would be stopping by at their base to exchange information about the land around them and share new ways of training. That on its own wasn't so out of the ordinary; it had happened before that the Survey Corps had to house soldiers of other branches for a while to exchange training methods and such.

The main problem now however … "That guy will be joining them?" he asked abruptly, leaning forwards.

Erwin nodded. "Yes, his name was listed in the letter they sent me. It would be foolish of us to assume that only Zuschauer and her superiors know who has Eren's contract. So for the time being - "

"We need to go back to those roles," the dark haired man finished sourly, crossing his arms. "I really don't like this, Erwin."

"I'm not particularly ecstatic about this either," the older man retorted dryly. "I would refuse them if I could, but doing so would raise suspicion and that's the last thing we need."

"Guess I'll go inform Eren that it's time to put the sleeping bag in my room again," Levi muttered darkly, receiving a wry smile in return.

"You do that. Don't worry about the rest; I'll tell them what will happen and that they need to act accordingly."

Rising from his chair, a derisive snort escaped Levi. "Good luck with that. Might be easier to just throw them all in the dungeon tied up and with their mouths taped shut for the whole week; we can tell them they all got eaten by titans. Maybe that will make them leave faster."

"Play nice, Levi." Erwin lifted one of his bushy eyebrows.

His smile showed more teeth than socially allowed. "I always do."

He left in search of Eren, who he suspected was somewhere downstairs on a break. Training had just finished when Erwin called him inside for a meeting, so chances were that the kid had gone inside the castle with his friends once the storm had rolled in.

To be quite frank he wasn't looking forward to having to inform Eren that he needed to take up the role as Companion again. Since Eren had ceased sleeping in his bedroom, some sort of wall had been erected between them. Granted, as Eren's superior there was a certain sense of distance required between them, but even before this whole mess with the contract had started, there hadn't been this wall separating them.

It was as if Eren had completely shut down, for a lack of proper wording. He remained polite towards Levi, did his chores without complaining and executed those well, but … He seemed to have shut himself off from Levi, pushing him out further than ever before. Even when he'd been forced to kick the shit out of Eren at his trial, the boy had been more open to him than he was now.

If he acted like that towards the others too, the captain could have chalked it up to a teenager's moodiness, but he didn't. He laughed with his best friends, teased Blouse and Springer, and started one argument after the other with Kirstein – those two idiots would probably even argue whether the sky was blue if it came down to that.

The point was that the distance between Levi and the boy had increased a lot – far more than he had intended it to. He could only imagine just how awkward things would be between the two of them in two days' time, when the group of the Military Police arrived and they had to play their roles again.

It was beyond aggravating having Eren treat him so distantly for reasons he couldn't even name himself.

He spotted Eren when he was just leaving the dining hall, an apple in his hand, telling Arlert something. For a couple of seconds Levi was a bit thrown off at Ackerman's absence until he remembered she'd been put in charge of preparing dinner tonight. She must have gone to the kitchen already.

"Eren, I need to talk to you," he called out before the brunette could disappear into the left corridor.

Witnessing Eren freezing like a statue and staring at him wide-eyed would have been funny if he'd still been acting normally. He wasn't, though, and this particular reaction towards Levi had the older man clenching his jaw, further increasing his irritation at whatever had crawled up Yeager's arse these past couple of months.

"Er, yes, sir," Eren said uncertainly, lowering his apple and drawing closer.

Noticing Arlert hovering behind him, clearly not knowing whether he should leave or not, Levi decided to make the decision easier for him. "Alone," he added.

Arlert and Eren exchanged a peculiar look before the blond quirked a weak smile and muttered, "I'll be in my room."

Eren nodded, watching his friend scurry upstairs. Then he took an audible deep breath and said, "You want to speak to me, Captain?"

"Yes, but not here. Follow me."

Their footsteps echoed through the corridor as they made their way to the room furthest down the hallway. Nobody was around and the room in question barely used, which suited Levi just fine. Sure, the others would hear about this soon from Erwin, but that didn't mean he wanted to have this conversation in the hallway.

"If it's about my manoeuvre," Eren started nervously as soon as the door closed behind them, "I was just trying to - "

"I didn't call you in here to talk about your manoeuvres," Levi cut him off before adding absently, "Although that one in particular was rather stupid and you'd probably be eaten by a titan if you tried to pull that one off in the field. For future reference: don't try that one anymore. Your body isn't built for it."

"Understood, sir," Eren muttered and flinched slightly. He clasped his hands behind his back and bowed his head slightly. "If you don't want to discuss that, Captain, what do you want to talk about then?"

The dark haired man decided not to beat around the bush. Leaning against the wall, crossing his arms, he replied, "In two days' time, a group of the Military Police will arrive and stay here for a week to exchange information about the area and any new training methods we've come up with."

"All right," Eren said slowly, obviously confused as to what that had to do with him.

Taking a deep breath, Levi pinched the bridge of his nose, agitation flaring up once more, and went on, "This group includes the man who initially wanted to have your contract. It is likely that he hasn't forgotten about that."

"Oh." Eren stilled, his eyes widening with the realisation. He crossed his arms tightly around him but he couldn't entirely supress the shiver making his form tremble.

"Look, nothing's going to happen to you, okay? You've got my word," Levi stated firmly, needing the younger man to believe this. He received a halting nod in return and figured that was the best he was going to get now. A tad sourly he continued, "With them staying for a week, however, this means that the – it means that we have to take up our roles as Enquirer and Companion again. Just until they're gone. If we don't, the guy might get suspicious. I know this isn't ideal, but - "

"I understand!" Eren cut him off hastily, loosening the grip he had on himself. "You'll be my Enquirer and I'll be your Companion again. Does this mean I have to, er, sleep in your room again, sir?"

A bit befuddled at how rather calmly Eren seemed to be taking this news, the dark haired man nodded slowly. "Yes, just to be on the safe side. You can dig up one of the sleeping bags again."

"That's fine, sir," Eren reassured him and then worried his lower lip between his teeth. "Eh, can I be honest about this to Armin and Mikasa?"

"Sure, Erwin will be informing everyone about the visit tonight anyway. The others will have their own part to play as well."

"Right, makes sense," Eren muttered, rocking back and forth on his heels. "I'll – I'm going to tell them now then, if that's okay with you?"

"Be my guest," Levi drawled and watched how Eren darted out of the room.

He'd expected some sort of protest or at the very least some stammering, but Eren seemed to have taken the news rather well. He probably had realised the gravity of this situation if the Military Police would find out about their little scam.

They wouldn't find out, though, because he and Eren were going to play their role again just like they had had with Zuschauer. If they could fool someone who was trained to spot deception, they could definitely fool some Military Police.

It wouldn't be the first time Levi would come out on top in a battle between him and the Military Police anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: I know not much has happened in this chapter, but this one was needed to set up the events of next chapter - which I think you'll like :D
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: I stayed up until nearly three o'clock in the morning to finish this, but I'm still not completely happy with it. This chapter turned out a lot harder to write than expected, so if it sucks, I'm sorry *grimaces*
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and the comments!
> 
> Warnings: eh, some drama I suppose? And some references to rape and violence in the past
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan. Hajime Isayama owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 7_

The first couple of days following the Military Police's arrival went rather well – a fact which honestly surprised Levi. It was no secret that the Survey Corps and the Military Police were often at odds with each other, with the latter being of the opinion that the former didn't need the subsidies as it would just be a waste of money.

Either this group of six didn't share the same opinion or they actually did possess a shred of intelligence and had decided it would be wiser not to aggravate the Survey Corps, unless they wanted to end up in a titan's belly.

Not that anyone of their group would deliberately push those of the Military Police in a titan's mouth if possible, but accidents could happen.

So far, though, no problems or fights had popped up and Levi could only hope the rest of the visit would go smooth as well. The quicker they were gone, the quicker everything could turn back to normal, after all.

Erwin had briefed everyone as he'd said he would, explaining why the Military Police would be joining them for a week, assuring them that their schedules wouldn't change that much out of the ordinary. Once only Eren's friends had stayed back in the hall – most likely on Eren's insistence – Erwin had informed them Levi and Eren would take up their respective roles as Enquirer and Companion again for the duration of the stay of the Military Police. The brats were warned that they weren't allowed to blab around the actual truth and that it would be easier to avoid any talk about Levi's contract with Eren.

As the Military Police would mainly talk with Erwin and occasionally with Levi or Hange, there normally shouldn't be a risk of the others spilling the truth, but well, better safe than sorry in this case.

Ackerman hadn't looked particularly impressed when she'd heard Eren was back to behaving as Levi's Companion, but this time she hadn't tried to attack Levi, so the girl had at least made some progress.

As for Eren …

The boy honestly puzzled and baffled Levi – a state he did not find himself in very often.

After weeks of distant politeness, of following orders to a T but never more than that, he had done a complete one eighty and was now back to how he'd been before: arguing with Levi about the length of the showers – _"Honestly, Captain, five minutes is more than enough when you've already taken a shower this morning!", "Shut the fuck up and keep scrubbing; I can practically still see the dust coating your head. What the hell were you even doing today? Using your hair to remove the dust?"_ – to squeaking like a chipmunk when he accidentally caught Levi naked after a shower, to following him around wherever he went and even preparing his favourite tea.

He was back to spending the night in Levi's quarters in his sleeping bag, grumbling every time Levi had to kick his legs to get him to wake up on time. He was there with Levi when the older man had to talk to the Military Police, not even flinching when Levi reached out to touch his shoulders and arms. Normally Levi wouldn't have bothered with the touches during discussions about tactics, but he was keenly aware of the gaze of one man in particular, which strayed to Eren far too many times for Levi's liking. A man who was getting on Levi's nerves and they still had four days left to go.

_Jasper Mallory._

The one who had originally wanted to have Eren's contract. The one who had enjoyed the idea of torturing the boy, of pushing him to his limits, of assaulting him over and over again, just to figure out how much the shifter could take.

The man Levi wanted nothing more than to slice apart painfully slow, removing layer after layer of skin until the bastard would beg and plead to stop.

A guy he had to play nice with for as long as he stayed here, but who was really testing the limits of his patience with the way _he kept fucking staring at Eren._

Levi had seen a lot during his time in the underground: he'd witnessed murders, heard women cry for help as they were raped, saw people turning on their own family and friends if that meant getting higher up the food chain. Had passed by people selling their bodies numerous times to the point he'd grown numb to it, had been witness to shady deals and a plethora of other things that showed just how rotten humanity could be.

Yet the hungry gleam in Jasper's cold dark eyes and they way he leered at Eren when he thought nobody was looking, sent shivers down Levi's spine.

Because Jasper wasn't that much different from the scum Levi had encountered in the underground. He was exactly the type of person who'd do anything to get his hands on the thing he wanted, no matter the stakes.

And he wanted Eren. Even months after Levi had snatched up the contract, Jasper apparently hadn't forgotten about Eren, hadn't settled for another soldier. If given the chance, the opportunity, Levi didn't doubt Jasper would try something.

If Levi had his way, Jasper would have been kicked out of their camp on the first day already, left to fend for himself. Erwin was the only one with that kind of power, however, so all Levi could do was keep Eren as close to him as possible and not give that son of a bitch any opportunity to be alone with him.

And if Jasper's leering had Levi touching Eren a lot more than usual, even pulling him on his lap – and ignoring Erwin's thoughtful glance – then that was nobody's business but Levi's.

And Eren's he supposed. He didn't want to make the boy uncomfortable with his touches and had actually expected him to tense up or flinch away, especially when Levi had pulled him on his lap on the second day of the visit, but he appeared to have understood the gravity of what was at stake here. Someone who didn't know him personally would think he was the perfect Companion even, with the way he relaxed in Levi's touches and even returned them, following Levi's orders eagerly and basically allowing the older man to do whatever he wanted.

The out of character submissiveness unsettled Levi, but it was apparently enough for the rest of the group, because they didn't bat an eye and basically treated Eren like he wasn't even there.

If only Jasper could do the same, then Levi would be far more at ease. As it was he could only count down the days until their departure and make sure Eren was never alone with the disgusting prick.

* * *

Someone – either the military pigs or crazy four-eyes – had the brilliant idea to throw a party two days later as a way to relax. Levi was inclined to think the stupid idea originated from the military police as there was a suspicious abundance of liquor available all of a sudden and that was not something Hange could arrange at such a short notice.

Not unless she brew the beer and whiskey herself and while she might try doing that, she wouldn't be able to do that in secret.

"It's not so bad to relax once in a while, Levi," Erwin chided him gently; a glass with amber coloured liquid in his right hand.

"Perhaps not, but that doesn't mean I need to get drunk in order to do that," Levi grunted and crossed his arms. "I'm not Commander Pixis."

The party was in full swing and he was observing the others from his place in the right corner of the hall. He'd never been fond of parties, whether they were high class or organised by soldiers themselves. Truthfully, he would have locked himself up in his room to avoid those blithering drunk idiots, but he couldn't do that this time. Not until Eren decided he had enough of the party anyway and judging by the way he was laughing and dancing with his friends, he wouldn't tire of this charade any time soon.

He couldn't begrudge the boy for wanting to have some fun tonight. God knew they had had precious little to celebrate these past months. If the Military Police – _if Jasper_ – hadn't been here, he would have left the brat to his own devices. As it was, he needed to make sure Jasper wouldn't try anything so he was doomed to stay here until Eren was done partying.

"Who said anything about getting drunk?" Erwin asked mildly, swirling his drink slowly. "One drink wouldn't hurt."

"No, thanks," the dark haired man replied curtly, leaning back in the chair he'd commandeered for himself.

The other man shrugged. "Have it your way. Do try to enjoy the rest of the evening." With that he wandered off, smiling when Hange latched onto his arm and started dragging him away. Judging by the deep flush on her cheeks and how crooked her glasses were, Levi haggard a guess that she was enjoying the alcohol a bit too much.

Supporting his head on his left hand, he wondered whether Erwin was perhaps right and he should get at least one glass of whiskey; something to get through the night. Eren didn't look like he would want to retire any time soon and he might as well enjoy a drink. Given their line of work there was no guarantee when they could enjoy a stiff drink next.

"Fuck it," he muttered and pushed himself off the chair. One drink wouldn't hurt.

* * *

"You don't know what you're missing!" Hange waved her arm madly through the air even while she was dragged away by a mortified looking Moblit.

"I know exactly what I'm missing and I'm glad for that!" Levi sneered, plopping back down in his chair and straightening out his shirt. He should have expected Hange to come over to him at least once this evening, but that hadn't prepared him enough to deal with her in her drunken state. She had grown even more grabby than before; a feat which he honestly hadn't thought was possible and only Moblit's quick interference had assured she still had fully functioning hands.

This shit was exactly why he didn't want to be around drunk people: they had no concept of personal space, became either too affectionate or too violent, they reeked, and they made no sense whatsoever.

Seriously, how much fucking longer could this party last? And why the hell had Erwin even agreed to holding one?

Still grumbling about grabby drunks and parties from hell, he didn't notice Eren making his way over to him, until the boy suddenly dropped down on his lap, sliding one arm around his neck in a fluent move.

Barely resisting the instant reflex of shoving him off of him, Levi barked, "What the hell are you doing, Eren?"

Instead of cowering underneath the glare of silver grey eyes, Eren bent close to him, so close that Levi had no trouble smelling the beer on his breath, and he murmured, "Don't look, but Mallory's been staring at me for a while now."

"What?" Levi hissed, anger spiking up and his arms automatically lowered to rest around Eren's waist, his fingers digging into his hips. "Did he try anything?" he demanded, and started looking around, wanting to know where the fuck that bastard was now.

Calloused fingers gripped his chin and turned his head around so that he faced Eren again. It was only because Eren's bold move surprised him so much that he didn't slap his hand away.

"No, he didn't, not really anyway, but he might." Green grey eyes darkened a tad. "He seems to think my contract is up for negotiating."

"Did he say that to you?" He was starting to think that maybe he should pay Jasper a personal visit after all. Clearly that fucker didn't know that certain things in this castle were off limits.

Eren shrugged and pursed his lips slightly. "He implied it," he admitted begrudgingly.

Tensing up, Levi hissed, "That's it! I'm going to fucking ki- …"

"But I think I know a way that'll make him back off!" Eren said hurriedly.

Narrowing his eyes, studying the faint rose dusting the other's cheeks, Levi asked warily, "And what exactly do you have in mind?"

"Showing him who this Companion belongs to," Eren smirked.

_Show him who Eren belonged to?_ What was he talking about?

Before the older man could say anything, lips covered his own and a hand slid through his hair, fingers gripping the strands firmly. Levi found himself returning the kiss before he could even decide whether this was a good idea or not, pulling the younger boy even closer to him. Somehow Eren managed to squirm around on his lap until his knees were resting on each side of Levi's hips without breaking the kiss.

Feeling Eren's hips pressed flush against his own produced an interesting sensation in his lower belly and an odd noise escaped him, muffled by Eren's mouth. When a tongue slipped past his lips, a part of him thought he should put a stop to this, because surely this was going a bit too far to show a creepy fucker that the boy was off limits, but his body refused to listen to him.

Instead of pushing Eren away, his hands came to rest low on his back, right above the waistband of his trousers, and he bit down softly on the plush lip against his own, causing Eren to yelp softly and pull back. He wasn't deterred by the sting for very long apparently because he grinned and swooped in for another kiss almost instantly; both his hands now slipping through black strands, fingertips touching the undercut curiously.

Shivers kept running down his spine, the fingers in his hair creating a strange but pleasurable sensation which had him clutching at Eren's back; their kiss turning impatient and way too intense for something that was supposed to just fool somebody else.

It felt good, though, a fact which surprised him, because he'd never been interested in kissing someone. Most people weren't really interested in mouth hygiene, which had been a major reason to put him off of wanting to kiss someone, but Eren at least seemed to understand the purpose of a toothbrush and toothpaste.

They had kissed before, of course, in an attempt to convince Zuschauer to leave them alone, but their kisses had been clumsy then, filled with unease and uncertainty. There was nothing left of that unease now, Eren's lips moving confidently against his, as if they had been doing this kind of thing on a regular basis.

"Ooooh, Eren's going to get some!" Blouse's obnoxious voice rang loudly next to them, startling the both of them badly.

Ripping his mouth away from Levi's, Eren barked, "What the fuck, Sasha, go bother someone else!"

"Nooo, I've got nobody else," she whined, swinging her – hopefully fucking empty – bottle wildly around as she shuffled closer. "C-Connie lost our drinking match!" A loud burp escaped her and Levi recoiled as far as possible when the stench of alcohol slammed into his face.

"Oh fuck, Sasha, how much did you drink?" Eren asked disgusted, echoing the older man's sentiment exactly.

As Blouse drunkenly tried to explain to Eren that really, it wasn't that much, just a little bit, only a little bit, like maybe five bottles, or no, it could have been more, maybe eight, Levi finally took stock of their position. The way Eren was practically straddling him in a manner that could only be considered indecent, his hands lying on the captain's shoulders now; his cheeks flushed dark and his mouth swollen red while his eyes sparked with fire.

How long had they been kissing? Long enough to make him feel like he still needed to catch his breath and he glanced past Eren's shoulder, searching for Jasper. He couldn't spot him immediately, but that didn't mean anything.

"Look, look, if you want to be alone with – with the captain, I understand!" Blouse whispered, but her loud voice destroyed any attempt at subtlety and she gave Eren an exaggerated wink. Placing a finger against her lips – and nearly shoving it straight in her left nostril – she snickered, "I won't say anything."

Suddenly feeling like a bucket of ice water had been dropped on him, Levi abruptly pushed Eren off his lap and the boy stumbled away with a startled yelp and a lot of flaying about, barely avoiding falling flat on his arse.

"Captain?"

"I'm going to sleep," Levi retorted curtly and strode away, feeling too warm and needing to get the hell out of this place _now_.

He'd feel guilty about leaving Eren behind, but the majority of those idiots were beyond drunk by now and were as harmless as a fly now. Eren could take care of himself now; the party was bound to finish up soon anyway. It had become obvious just now that the boy didn't need his help with that arsehole anyway.

Fuck, what had he been thinking? Sure, kissing to make Jasper back off, fine. Wasn't much difference with kissing to get Zuschauer off their backs. But they had come close to crossing several lines – dangerous lines – and if Blouse hadn't interrupted them, god knew what the fuck they would have ended up doing.

He'd lost himself in that kiss and that shouldn't have happened. The floor vibrated underneath his feet when he slammed the door to his office shut, but he paid it no mind, marching over to his private quarters. He'd become too distracted during their kiss; far too distracted given that Blouse had managed to sneak up to them whilst blithering drunk without him being aware of it.

He couldn't allow that to happen again. He still couldn't figure out why he'd let that kiss go on for so long – when surely only a few seconds would have been enough to show Jasper whose Companion Eren was. That thought left a bitter taste behind in his mouth and he paused in front of his bed, clenching his fists. Breathing harsher as anger steadily filled him, anger aimed at himself and the whole fucking situation he found himself in.

He could never forget that this all was only happening because Eren was technically his Companion. They didn't have a choice but to act like the contract demanded them to when outsiders were around and he shouldn't forget that.

Except he had. Just for a moment there he hadn't thought about the contract at all, hadn't thought of Eren as his Companion. He'd just been a guy he'd been kissing – not because they had to do it to deceive someone else, but because they had wanted to.

He'd forgotten the truth and that was dangerous, too dangerous. He'd taken on Eren's contract to protect him, _not to take advantage of him_. He'd do well to remember that before he crossed a line.

"Fucking contract," he muttered in disgust as he hastily changed into his sleepwear and dumped his clothes in the hamper. They reeked of alcohol and smoke and the stench of it became suddenly unbearable; his skin positively crawling now.

Impulsively he picked up the hamper and dumped it outside his bedroom, kicking it away forcefully. It skidded away in the dark and either hit the wall or his desk. He'd deal with it tomorrow.

Completely fed up with the entire evening, hell, even with his life at the moment if he had to be honest, he wanted nothing more than to climb into bed and just sleep, but he still had to brush his teeth and wash his face – not doing so would only end up making him feel even more frustrated, he knew.

Grinding his teeth, he whirled around and left the room, using the faint moonlight shining through the windows in the corridor to guide his way to the bathroom.

When he walked back to his quarters, he could no longer hear laughter or drunken yelling downstairs and surmised the party must have finally ended. Those arseholes better made sure the hall was in pristine condition again or he'd make their hangovers a living hell in the morning.

He felt rather than saw Eren first when he swung open the door to his bedroom and he halted abruptly, watching Eren turn around quickly. He was already dressed in his nightwear, Levi noted dully, and all his bravado of tonight had melted away, leaving him fidgeting and awkwardly in front of the older man.

"Eren," Levi said in a controlled voice and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

"The, er, the party ended," Eren told him, seemingly not knowing what to do with his hands as he kept wringing them together before letting them hang at his sides, crossing them behind his back before going back to wringing them. "We cleaned up – or well, the ones who were least drunk cleaned up anyway. I think Sasha might be lying passed out in the kitchen."

"That doesn't surprise me," Levi murmured and walked to his bed. "As long as she doesn't eat all our rations."

"She can't get to them. Armin locked the pantry," Eren said; a hint of amusement colouring his voice.

"Smart boy," the dark haired man mumbled and threw his sheets back. He knew there was a reason why he tolerated that blond kid. He might not be that skilled in the field as Ackerman, but his brains were nothing to sniff at.

When he laid down and pulled the sheets on top of him, Eren was still standing up, lingering near his sleeping bag. His body was mostly hidden in the shadows, but sometimes, whenever he shifted slightly, the moonlight caught his eyes, making them glow like a cat's.

"You're going to sleep or what?"

"Oh, er, yeah, of course, it's just …" Eren trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with whatever he wanted to say.

Considering the events of the evening, Levi wasn't so sure whether he wanted to hear what the younger man had to say, but he'd really like to go to sleep now and that wouldn't be happening as long as Eren stood there like an idiot.

"Spit it out," he sighed, no longer having the energy to be annoyed. Would Eren want to talk about the kiss? If so, what about it exactly? Had he felt uncomfortable?

"I just wanted to – wanted to apologise."

_That_ had Levi sitting up again and he narrowed his eyes, confusion replacing the onset of guilt. "Apologise? For what? Did you break something whilst cleaning up?"

"No, of course not!" For a short moment, Eren looked offended as if the mere thought of him breaking something was insulting.

The sight of his annoyance oddly relaxed Levi somewhat, making him feel like they were on familiar ground again. "If not that, why apologise?"

"For, for the kiss."

And gone was the relaxed feeling.

Eren took the captain's silence as his reply it seemed, because he continued haltingly, "I know you didn't mean to let it get – well, I just want to say I'm sorry if, you know, I made you uncomfortable. With – with the kiss, I mean. I know how you feel about things like that and I didn't mean to - "

"Eren, it's fine," Levi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Of course the brat would feel the need to apologise as if he had been the one tiptoeing the line. That stupid line of thinking didn't surprise him, as much as it frustrated him.

"Are – are you sure? Because I'd understand if - "

"Eren, seriously, it's fine. It made Jasper back off, didn't it?"

"Y-yeah, it did." The brunette sounded off for some reason, more subdued, but Levi was too tired to examine the sudden shift in his mood.

"Then we accomplished what we wanted to do. Now go to sleep, we have an early day tomorrow," Levi said clipped, lying down again on his back.

"R-right." There was some shuffling and then the rustling of fabric and a zipper being opened before Eren's voice rang out in the dark, "Good night, sir."

Staring at the ceiling, knowing sleep would evade him for a long time if it ever would come, Levi said, "Yeah, good night, kid."

* * *

During the last couple of days of the Military Police's visit, Levi made it a point to keep Eren as close to him as possible, keeping a hand on his back or on his shoulder whenever Jasper was nearby. He and Eren kissed at times as well, though the kisses were kept chaste; the dark haired man all too aware of the line he was tiptoeing.

He would have put a stop to the kisses instantly, especially after what had happened at the party, but a dark part in him relished in the look of frustration and utter loathing which crossed Jasper's face every time he caught Levi and Eren together. The scene at the party had clearly ticked him off and only his clear display of frustration with the situation was saving him from a private meeting with Levi. Jasper seemed to have sensed the captain's hostility, though, because for all his foul looks and half hidden sneers, he steered clear of the both of them, obviously not wanting to risk Levi's ire even further.

Apparently even disgusting fucks like him had a lick of common sense.

Levi couldn't say he would miss that lot when the morning of their departure arrived. They had exchanged some interesting tactics, but their presence had been irritating to say the least and he left it up to Erwin and Mike to see them off.

He remained in his office, going over the plans for the new excursion which would take place over a month. They would go further out than they had ever done before and everything needed to be planned meticulously to minimize the losses. For one they needed a new shipment of extra blades in case they encountered titans they couldn't avoid.

He'd have to teach the brats some new flying techniques to reduce the amount of gas wasted as well, but as the noise of Blouse squealing after dropping something heavy in the courtyard and Braun's barking laughter in response drifted through the open window, he wondered whether it wouldn't just be easier to only take a select few of the group with them.

He wouldn't have to waste his energy teaching new techniques to hopeless dunderheads then.

A knock on the door had him looking up briefly from the map and he called out, "Yes, enter."

He had expected Erwin or even Hange to disturb him – the latter had been especially gleeful the last couple of days, grinning maniacally whenever she had caught Levi touching Eren – and was therefore a tad surprised to see Eren entering his office instead.

"The group left just now," Eren announced, coming to a halt in front of the desk. He clasped his hands behind his back and glanced at the map briefly.

"Good, hopefully we won't see them back for a long time," Levi muttered, studying the formation Erwin had drawn on the map with narrowed eyes.

When Eren hummed and remained in the room, Levi looked up again and raised an eyebrow. "Something else you need to say?"

Did Hange want to start her experiments again? He would have to be there then just in case, although the last couple of experiments had gone off without a hitch. She hadn't mentioned wanting to start the experiments anew, but she tended to be rather scatter-brained at times. The presence of the Military Police this past week hadn't made it easy to maintain their regular schedules either.

"I – wanted to discuss something with you, sir," Eren started, pursing his lips and looking quite uncomfortable.

Folding the map, Levi gestured for the kid to sit down and took a seat as well, realising this particular conversation would require all his attention. He'd never seen Eren this solemn before and it set him a bit on edge if he had to be honest.

"Sure, what do you want to discuss?"

"It's … My contract, I was wondering – why did you pick it, sir?"

Drawing his eyebrows together in bemusement, Levi replied, "I told you before: because I didn't want that bastard to get his hands on you. I wasn't about to let someone of my team get tortured for some sick fucker's pleasure."

Eren winced slightly, but sat up ramrod straight; his shoulders so tense it made Levi's twinge in sympathy. "So, it wasn't – that's the only reason, sir?"

"What other reason could I possibly have had?" Levi stared at him blankly, wondering warily where this conversation was heading. Why did Eren want to talk about his contract all of a sudden? Hadn't Levi been clear from the start why he'd taken it and what it would entail for the both of them?

Maybe Hange's experiments were messing more with Eren's head than they had anticipated.

The brunette flushed a dark red and looked away, his voice barely above a whisper when he answered, "I just thought that, you know …"

"I know what?"

"That you might, er, that you might be interested in me?" Green grey eyes flicked up at him before they hastily looked down, his cheeks reddening even more.

"That's not why I picked up your contract," Levi said forcefully, his stomach doing an odd, unpleasant twist, and he braced his hands against the desk. Fuck, he should have known the kid would grow confused with all the kissing and touching they'd been doing. He should have put a stop to those things from the start instead of allowing them to go on.

"Oh, it's just that – I wouldn't mind, you know," Eren said in a small voice, but when he looked up there was a sliver of hope lightening up his eyes.

"Eren, stop," Levi ordered, his heart thudding louder in his ears. This conversation needed to end now before they would encroach dangerous territory again.

"If – if you don't feel the same, that's fine, but I – I thought you might and Miss Hange said I should get everything out in the open,"

Fuck that blasted woman to hell and back for putting her nose where it didn't belong.

"So I want you to know, sir, that I really like you and if you - "

"Stop, Eren, now!" Levi barked and his harsh order was enough to shock the boy into startled silence. "You don't like me. You're just confused because we had to act close due to the contract, that's all."

"That's not true!" Eren snapped, shyness and embarrassment quickly making way for anger. "I'm not confused because of the stupid contract! I've liked you for a really long time, captain, and I'd like to - "

"You're just a kid, Eren! You're too young," Levi said harshly, glaring at the other one. "You don't have any clue what you're - "

"I know what I'm feeling! I'm nearly sixteen, I'm not a kid anymore!" Eren snarled, his eyes sparking with frustrated anger. Balling his fists, he snapped, "I've trained to defeat Titans and now you're going to tell me I'm not old enough yet to lo-"

"Yes, you're not old enough yet," Levi cut him off coldly. "You're not sixteen yet, I'm almost thirty-one. I'm your superior and in case you've forgotten this small detail, I'm also the one appointed to kill you if you ever step out of line."

"I know, I haven't forgotten that," Eren said through gritted teeth, looking close to lashing out. "But that doesn't mean we can't be - "

"No. This is final, Eren, I don't want to hear another word about this," Levi said curtly. "You think you like me, but you're confusing gratitude with affection. If it were not for the contract, you wouldn't think you have feelings for me."

"Stop assuming you know how I feel!" Eren bared his teeth, looking as close to lived as he'd ever been in Levi's presence as he jumped up and loomed over the desk. "I know what the hell I'm feeling for you and it's not misplaced gratitude or whatever crap you come up with! I've liked you before you even picked up that fucking contract and that hasn't changed since then! All I ask is that you give us - "

"No."

"But!"

"No, Eren! I'm not going to say it again! Get out of my office now, I have work to do." He held Eren's eyes as the younger man trembled with barely restrained fury, saw anger and frustration and hurt brewing in those eyes before he whirled around and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

The silence in the room was deafening and Levi closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and – ignoring the way his stomach churned and twisted – opened the map again, fixating his eyes on the formation in the middle of it.

He stared at it, but didn't see it; his mind a maelstrom of thoughts, each one flitting by too quickly to really contemplate.

Fuck the contract. Fuck this situation. Fuck everything.

_Just … fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: On a scale of one to ten, how frustrated are all of you now with Levi? :P
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me!
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next - and most likely last - chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: My apologies for the delay, guys. I was supposed to update this story on Friday, but my week has been frankly quite long and very shitty and I ended up having to finish the chapter last night. *sighs* I hope the chapter isn't as crappy as I feel it is; if it is, I apologise to you for a second time. This definitely wasn't an easy chapter to write. 
> 
> It's also the last chapter of this story. This is also why it's way longer than previous chapters, so I hope it makes up for the delay a bit. Like I said, it wasn't easy to write, because the chapter wasn't cooperating at all with me, but I hope it isn't too awful!
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and the comments! I really appreciate them!
> 
> Warnings: time skips; some drama; mature content; I think that's it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan. Hajime Isayama owns it.
> 
> For the last time: I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 8_

He had expected Eren to react in two ways after their argument. Either he'd remain pissed off and would try to instigate a fight with Levi whenever possible – and with his fiery temper, this course of action wouldn't surprise the captain. God knew he and Kirstein still hadn't stopped arguing with each other; finding every reason possible to start a fight.

The second way he could react would be to go back to treating the dark haired man with utmost politeness, like he'd done before after Zuschauer had left the castle.

Of course because they were talking about Eren Yeager here, Levi should have realised that the boy wouldn't react according to expectations.

Instead of being furious or polite, Eren had evidently decided to go for another tactic: complete and utter indifference.

Oh, he completed any orders Levi gave him, be it ones about training or cleaning, but there was never any infliction in his voice when he replied and his face remained utterly blank. Used to seeing every emotion displayed on the kid's face like he was an open book, this sudden change unsettled Levi greatly. He didn't know how to react to it. Try to set him straight? What for? He wasn't picking fights, he didn't ignore Levi's orders; he was just indifferent, acting like he and Levi had never shared any resemblance of a close relationship before.

After the argument they had had, Levi should be glad that Eren was taking a more mature attitude towards this situation, but … It bothered him. More than he liked to admit. He was no stranger to being treated with indifference – where he came from, indifference was often preferable even – but Eren's apathy needled at him, put him on edge in a way he hadn't felt like since he left the Underground. It slipped into his interactions with the others, making him more prone to snap when one of the recruits did something stupid for the nth time. It had him giving terse and curt responses to Erwin's questions, even when they were rather innocent and were about something as fucking mundane as his opinion of the weather.

Hange nearly got her face smashed by a heavy book when she bothered him one time too many and he'd thrown the book at her before he even registered he'd whirled around.

His reactions to the others only made him more pissed off because he knew there was no reason – no rational one at least – for him to act like this. Eren treated him like most soldiers did – so what? Wasn't this what he had wanted when he dissuaded the kid from attempting to pursue a romantic relationship with him?

Eren wasn't raging about it, wasn't trying to keep pushing him about it; that was what Levi had wanted.

Wasn't it?

* * *

"I've met quite some oblivious people before, but I never thought you'd be joining that group." Hange plopped down next to him, jostling him and he stopped reading the file, lifting his head to glare at her.

"Don't you have an experiment to fuck around with?" he asked annoyed, snapping the file shut before she could take a peek. She probably had got the same one from Erwin, but it was the principle of things. If he let her take a look at this one, she would take that as blanket authorisation to snoop around and he didn't think Erwin would appreciate it if he fed her to the titans as punishment.

Crossing her legs, she wrapped her hands around her knees and frowned faintly. "Assume I'm currently working on an experiment," she said vaguely and he could already feel a headache creeping up.

"What the hell do you want, Hange? I'm not in the mood to entertain you," he said, annoyance slipping into irritation.

"You're never in the mood to entertain me," she pointed out lightly before growing solemn.

Her quick switch in mood had him narrowing his eyes, studying her carefully. A solemn Hange – genuinely solemn – did not happen very often and when it did, it often didn't bode well for him.

"It's been longer than a month – you're not planning on fixing it?" she asked enigmatically.

"What's been longer than a month?"

The disapproving look she shot him had him gritting his teeth. "Since whatever you said to Eren got him in that mood."

"Nothing's wrong," Levi retorted forcefully and stood up, marching over to his desk.

"Don't play dumb, Levi; you never managed to pull off that look well," she snorted, leaning back against the couch.

"Apparently you talked to him, so why don't you do that again?" he sneered, smacking the file on his desk. "Maybe you should add another occupation to your resume: not only a scientist but apparently the resident therapist as well!"

She didn't rise to the bait. "What did you tell him?"

"Something that's obvious to everyone but him apparently," he replied curtly.

" _Levi."_

"He's apparently under the assumption that he's in love with me and I set him straight about that; that's all," he said briskly, stuffing a couple of documents he still needed to look at in the top drawer.

It was quiet for so long, he felt compelled to turn around just to check whether the menace was still there. She was and she looked quite upset, which he didn't really understand. What did it matter to her what he'd told Eren? It was none of her damn business anyway.

"Why on earth did you do that?" she questioned, frowning heavily.

Resting his hands on the desk, he raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Really, Hange? Why wouldn't I have done that? He's still a kid, for fuck's sake!"

"I wouldn't exactly call him a kid when - "

"He's barely seventeen years old! Still not an adult!"

"And he's been fighting titans for two years and before that he spent three years training how to defeat them!" she raised her voice, narrowing her eyes. "You never considered soldiers kids before, why treat Eren any different now? If he's old enough to risk his life, he's old enough to fall in love."

The laugh that briefly escaped him was cold and bitter, he knew, and it had Hange flinching slightly. "So you're the one who filled his head with that bullshit? He's not in love with me, he's just confused!"

Cocking her head to the left, her upper lip curled up slightly. "I can see why you would think he's confused because he likes you," she said snidely, "but that doesn't lessen what he feels for you! He's in love with you, why are you belittling his feelings like that?"

"He thinks he's in love with me," he corrected her sourly. "The contract just got him messed up, that's all. Made him believe he was feeling things that aren't really there."

"You really think he's mixing up gratitude with love?" she said incredulously, shaking her head. "Eren isn't stupid, Levi. He knows damn well what he feels for you and it's not misplaced gratitude."

"How can you be so sure of that?" he snapped, curling his hands into fists on the desk. "We spent an abnormal amount of time together; it's no wonder he became confused."

"Why are you being so difficult about this?" she exclaimed exasperatedly, throwing her hands in the air. "Would it kill you to just admit that you like him too?"

"There's nothing to admit!" he snarled.

"That's a big fat lie and you know it!" she snapped back, her eyes flashing with anger. "I _know_ you, Levi, and there's no way you're going to tell me that you're that good at faking feelings! I've seen you two interact; you had a good thing going there, Levi, why the hell are you messing that up?"

"We had nothing going, you shit for brains! Stop fucking imagining things!"

"Why are you so dead set against being happy?" she cried out dismayed, throwing her hands in the air. "There's nothing wrong with allowing yourself to be happy for once, you know? After all the things you've been through, you're entitled to some happiness and if Eren can give you that, why are you going - "

"Stop."

He said it quietly, but it had the same effect of shutting up Hange as if he'd screamed at her. She stared at him, her chest heaving up and down slightly quicker, as if she'd been running instead of arguing with him. After a short moment she deflated, her shoulders slumping and she fiddled with the straps of her glasses.

"Would it be that bad to just give Eren a chance?" she asked softly.

He breathed out slowly and turned away, looking out of the window. Grey clouds were rolling in and the wind was picking up strength; they might get another storm soon.

"He's fifteen years younger than I am, still a child despite being a soldier, and I'm the one appointed to take him down if he ever loses control," he stated flatly. "I can't offer him anything, Hange. He's better off directing his affections somewhere else."

"But would you be happy if he liked someone else?"

He shrugged stiffly. "Not really my business, is it?"

And it wasn't. It wasn't any of his business who Eren ended up liking. If it was someone around his age, that would be even better. Someone fifteen years his senior – and twice as jaded and crude – wouldn't be able to give him what he needed, what he wanted. For all the shit that the brat had witnessed, had been forced to be part of, there was still a sense of innocence left in him. He might turn into a fifteen metre tall raging monster with anger issues and a proclivity for ripping apart titans like they were nothing but stuffed pillows, but in the end he still retained that innocence and even naivety that Levi had lost years ago.

That he might never have had, come to think of it.

There was no point in tainting the last bit of innocence the kid had left, no matter how much he believed he was in love with Levi.

"It's good to be selfish once in a while," Hange murmured.

Levi remained quiet, listening to her footsteps fading away. _Good to be selfish once in a while, huh?_ The last time he'd been selfish, his two best friends had ended up dead, ripped apart by an Abnormal. The last time he decided 'to hell with everything' and be selfish for once, he'd been staring at the entrails of his friends scattered across the ground; Isabel's dead eyes gazing back.

Nothing good had ever come out from him being selfish. He'd learnt that lesson the hard way. His friends might think Eren was indestructible, but Levi knew better. Instead of being indestructible, Eren was as fragile as glass; one wrong touch and he'd shatter.

Levi would be damned before he'd been the one who made Eren break.

* * *

Surprisingly Hange kept her distance after their conversation. Levi had actually expected her to come back, had braced himself for it, because she was relentless like that, but nothing. She acted as if their conversation had never happened, as if they hadn't had argued about Levi's refusal to accept Eren's feelings.

That was rather … unsettling, if Levi had to be honest. Hange just wasn't someone to give up that easy, especially when she thought she was right. It set him on edge, because he wasn't sure whether she would try to start another argument as soon as his guard was lowered.

Why the hell couldn't she just have minded her own business? It would make his life a hell of a lot less stressful if she'd done just that. It was already irritating enough that Eren continued to put up an indifferent front, he could do without having to worry whether or not that crazy bitch would try to rope him into another argument.

In the end, though, the expected second attack came from an entirely different direction.

* * *

"The second floor's finished as well, I'll go help in the kitchen now, sir," Eren said monotone, removing the white cloth from around his head. His eyes were downcast and his movements rather stiff; as it had become his habit of the past two months, he was avoiding the steely grey eyes tracking his progress through the room.

Something seemed to snap in Levi all of a sudden and he took a step forwards. "Eren, I need to - "

But the boy was already gone, the door swinging gently back and forth after his hasty retreat. A growl of frustration left the dark haired man and he clenched his jaw, dragging a hand over his face. What the hell did it matter anyway? So what if Eren refused to interact with him anymore save for when the situation called for it? He was a soldier and Levi's subordinate – there was no reason for them to be close to each other.

 _But you were close when you had to act out the contract_ , a poisonous voice in the back of his mind whispered. _You didn't really mind those kisses and touches, did you?_

Levi refused to think about the implication in those words. All that, had happened because of the contract and that was it. Nothing more.

"The room not up to your standards?" Erwin's voice drifted over to him and he turned around, scowling.

"The room's fine," he said tersely, ripping the bandana from his head. "You want to discuss something?" That could be the only reason why Erwin would seek him out when the older man knew today was cleaning day.

"Yes, it won't take long," Erwin reassured him and gestured for the dark haired man to follow him.

Clucking his tongue annoyed, Levi nevertheless followed Erwin to his office, casting a critical eye on the abundance of documents covering the desk from view. When the blond man caught him looking, he chuckled ruefully and rolled his shoulders.

"I know, I know, it's a mess at the moment, but everything will be gone by the weekend. I just need to compare some documents with each other."

"Far be it for me to criticise your work system," Levi muttered, picking the only available empty chair left in the room.

Erwin smiled, but the calculating look in those blue eyes had Levi narrowing his eyes. Nothing good ever came out from that particular look. He'd know, because he had ample experience with it.

"Spit it out; what's on your mind?" Levi asked flatly, crossing his legs.

"I don't interfere in your interactions with the soldiers under your leadership," Erwin started, leaning forwards and folding his hands on the desk.

Levi nodded slowly, eyeing the other man warily. It was true that Erwin kept his nose out of Levi's business – at least when it came to that part in his life. The commander trusted Levi to know how to handle the other soldiers and minded his own business. The grey eyed man had a feeling that was about to change today.

"I know that you're perfectly capable of handling the recruits," Erwin continued lightly, but his face was solemn and there were tight lines around the corners of his eyes. "So what I want to know now is how you're going to handle Eren's behaviour."

"I wasn't aware the brat was acting out," Levi retorted blankly. Years of practice kept him from clenching his hands into fists. First Hange and now Erwin? Why could nobody leave this shit alone? Had they suddenly all become fucking therapists?

Erwin quirked an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with the answer. "Levi, cut the bullshit," he said flatly. "We've all noticed the change between you two and it's starting to affect the morale."

"If the morale gets affected by how Eren and I interact with each other, then there's something wrong with the morale to start with, don't you think?" Levi smiled thinly. "It's not up to us to make sure the rest of the brats are happy."

"Levi, this has been going on for way too long already," Erwin said, lightly frowning. "I can't have you acting like this when we leave for our next mission."

"The mission wouldn't be affected," Levi replied irritated, glowering.

"You can be sure of that?" Erwin said sceptically. "You can look me in the eye and assure me that when we're in the field, Eren will do whatever you tell him to do? No hesitation whatsoever?"

"Of course he'll do what he's ordered," Levi answered immediately, because it was true. Eren wouldn't ignore an order, no matter how indifferent he was acting now.

"Don't you think it would be better if you two talked it out?" Erwin sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"We already talked; there's nothing more to be said." Levi pressed his lips together.

"I beg to differ."

"That's your problem then, not mine. If that's all, I'm going to - "

"Levi, you know I've always trusted your judgement," Erwin said quietly and the younger man stilled. "But in this case, unfortunately, you're wrong. You need to talk to Eren before this grows completely out of hand."

"There's nothing left to be said," Levi said through gritted teeth. "He gave his opinion, I gave mine; end of story."

"There's nothing wrong in allowing yourself to be happy," Erwin murmured.

"That has fuck all to do with this!" Levi snapped and shot up. "I'd appreciate it if you and Hange kept your noses out of my fucking business!"

"We're your friends, Levi, we worry about you."

"There's nothing to worry about! You two need to find a fucking hobby instead of badgering me - "

"This won't end the same as with Furlan and Isabel."

The words were spoken softly, hardly louder than a murmur, but they cut through Levi like a knife and he blinked rapidly, his chest constricting tightly for a moment.

"This has _nothing_ to do with them," he managed to bring out after a moment, but something was blocking his throat and he swallowed, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden.

Erwin peered up at him, still looking infuriatingly calm. "No? I think it does. You aren't afraid that the moment you allow yourself to be happy, that the one making you happy won't disappear?"

He'd never come so close to wanting to punch that bastard in the face as now. "No, I'm not. Are you doing with your psychological bullshit?"

"Eren can heal. He's stronger than most."

"But he can't heal everything." Grey eyes locked onto blue ones. "Even you aren't that foolishly optimistic."

A wry smile played across the blond's lips. "He can't heal everything, no," he conceded. "But he's a lot stronger than you give him credit for. More stubborn than you even. If there's one person you can take a chance on, it's him, Levi."

"He's my subordinate. Has your old age got to you already that you've forgotten about the power dynamics between us?" Levi questioned coldly.

Erwin shrugged. "In the end they're nothing more than mere titles," he said, his voice gaining an odd note. "In the world we live in there's no point in worrying about things like that. You want my advice?"

"Not really, no."

As expected, Erwin ignored him and continued, "I believe that in our lives we all get a chance at happiness, something that can turn our lives around, change things for the better. It's up to us to grab that chance and hold onto it for as long as we can." He stood up, walked across the desk and rested his hand on Levi's shoulder.

"Your chance at happiness is right there in front of you, Levi. I can see that, Hange sees it – everyone can see it. Don't let your past define you. You're allowed to have this bit of happiness – even if you don't believe it yourself."

He left quietly, leaving Levi behind in his office with too much thoughts whirling around in his head. _God damn that giant_.

What the hell did he know?

* * *

"Captain." Eren's face and posture practically screamed wariness and he seemed on the verge of bolting straight out of the room if Levi so much as twitched a finger.

A part of him distantly acknowledged that perhaps ambushing the boy when he'd least expected it wasn't exactly a good idea, but he'd grown weary of it all. This whole thing between him and Eren – it had to stop.

"We need to talk," Levi said curtly, closing the door behind him. Arlert and Ackerman had been assigned the task of hunting down deer, so they'd be gone for a while now – less chance of them interrupting his talk with the brunet.

"About what, sir?"

The infallible polite tone had Levi bristling with annoyance and he clenched his teeth before taking a deep breath. "I'm fifteen years older than you."

"Er, I know?" Eren was clearly taken aback and he stared at Levi, his eyes widening slightly. He'd just finished storing the freshly dug up potatoes into the crates and his hands had traces of earth on them.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Levi steeled himself and continued slowly, "I'm your superior and technically still your Enquirer as well. The Court expects me to put you down at even the slightest hint that you're about to lose control."

Green grey eyes shuttered close. "I know, sir," he muttered stiffly, balling his hands into fists. His face turned sour, most likely anticipating another rejection.

Levi took a step closer. "I'm crude and I don't have much patience. I've never been into that whole lovey dovey shit that you might have seen in the walls."

"I – don't expect you to be, sir," Eren replied hesitatingly, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. "Er, I don't know what - "

"I've beaten the shit out of you once before. I have an obsession with cleanliness and a short temper," Levi stated bluntly. "Not much I can offer you, kid. So why the hell did you decide it was a good idea to like me?"

"I …" Eren furrowed his eyebrows, was silent as he considered the question.

"Because you're honest," he eventually said. "Because you're not afraid of me. You don't treat me any different and I – I like that."

Levi snorted harshly and crossed his arms. "So it's just because I'm decent to you?"

Eren shook his head quickly. "Not that. It's …" He was struggling to find the words and his frustration was slightly mounting because of it. "You – you trust me. Not many people do that. And you're funny, even if your humour is weird sometimes, and you care about people, even if you don't like to admit that. You're just … you and I like that. I like who you are," he admitted quietly.

Taken aback by the sincere look in Eren's eyes, it took Levi a bit before he could gather his bearings. "Don't you think you'd be better off looking for someone your age?"

"Why would I do that when I like you?" Eren sounded genuinely perplexed. "I like you, not anyone else. I don't care that you're older, you know."

"That's been noted, yes," Levi said dryly and slowly breathed out. "You're a mess, kid."

The boy shrugged. "If I'm a mess because I like you, then that's all right with me."

"You're an idiot too," Levi informed him casually, because well, it was true and it needed to be said aloud. Eren _was_ an idiot for liking him. Kid had a few screws loose obviously; that could be the only explanation as to why his eyes were lighting up right now, his lips quirking up.

"You've said that before, sir," Eren pointed out cheerfully, taking two steps closer.

"Because it's true," Levi told him sombrely. "You're going to regret this, you know."

"No, I won't," Eren stated confidently, crossing the remaining distance between them until there was less than a foot separating them. "I've got some regrets, but you won't be one of them."

"So fucking confident," the dark haired man remarked unimpressed, pursing his lips. Green grey eyes flicked to them for a few seconds before Eren looked up again. "I'm not easy to get along with."

"Easier than you think," Eren countered swiftly. He fiddled with his fingers, rocking slightly back and forth on his heels. His whole body was thrumming with nerves and his inability to just stand still should irritate Levi, but he had a hard time finding that spark of annoyance.

"You're an annoying little shit," Levi said. "I really don't know why I even tolerate you."

Instead of being offended, Eren beamed, as if Levi had paid him the highest compliment possible. Such a fucking weirdo. "Does this mean you want to, you know, try, sir? Us together?" he asked hopefully, clasping his hands together.

Levi looked at him, studied the hopeful gleam in those multicoloured eyes, watched a red hue steadily darkening cheekbones. He should refuse. For both of them it would be better if he cut this off immediately, before this could grow any further. Happiness and he just didn't go together; he couldn't drag Eren down with him.

However … He'd always spat the universe in its face, despite how many times it had tried to break him. Why would he stop taunting it now?

"Drop the 'sir'," he ended up saying, wrinkling his nose slightly. "I'm not into roleplay."

The smile Eren offered him was blinding and he swooped forwards to kiss Levi before the older man could open his mouth. As warm, chapped lips covered his carefully, Levi closed his eyes and returned the kiss.

Maybe this time he would get to keep this. Keep Eren.

* * *

_Three months later_

"We've got shit luck," Levi said morosely, turning around and walking further into the shabby cabin.

"At least the titans can't reach this high," Eren offered, busy pulling off the multitude of straps around his legs and chest. His 3D gear was already resting against the right wall, dripping rain on the wooden planks.

"That's the only mercy we have now," Levi muttered, squinting out the small window on his left. He could barely see anything through the curtain of rain streaming down. It was hissing loudly, drowning out all other noise from the forest.

"We wait until the rain stops and then we'll go back. We don't need to worry the others for too long," he said, stepping back from the window.

"Might take a while before the rain lets up," Eren mumbled and rose up from the rickety chair, making his way over to the cupboards. "Think the previous owners left anything behind?"

The older man wrinkled his nose. "They might have, although it'll depend on how long ago they left. Bad enough we have a couple of titans out there, I don't need an upset stomach on top of that."

Eren grimaced, opening one of the cupboards. "Yeah no, I don't want that either," he agreed. "Oh hey, we've got some candles and matches here!"

"Set them on the table; we're going to need the light if we're going to be stuck here for the entire night."

As Eren investigated the rest of the cupboards, Levi studied the cabin more thoroughly. It had a single double bed with some ratty sheets thrown on top of it and he grimaced, not wanting to know just how badly those stank. There was one table with two chairs and a small kitchen where Eren was currently puttering around. One door led to outside while another door presumably led to the bathroom – at least Levi hoped it did, because going outside to take a piss in this weather wouldn't be pleasant.

Heaving a sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair quickly before pulling off his own straps, figuring he might as well get comfortable for however long they'd be stuck in this place. At least they wouldn't have to worry about titans smashing through the walls, given how high up on the mountain this little cabin was.

It might have belonged to a hunter once; Levi had spotted some rusty blades and a broken bow in the left corner next to the door, but whoever had lived here had left the place a while ago, judging by the cobwebs on the ceiling.

Still, it provided good protection against nature's elements and the titans outside, so he couldn't exactly complain about the less than clean state of this building.

Watching Eren pick out several cans and putting them on the counter, Levi wondered whether the rest had managed to make it back to the base. Their mission had been fairly easy; just mapping out the area around their new base – a small, desolated village of which the inhabitants had fled years ago – but naturally they had encountered an entire horde of titans on their way back to the camp. There had been at least five Abnormals, each one around ten metres tall, and they had had a hard time cutting them all down. He and Eren had got separated from the group when one of the Abnormals had broken away and had gone after them.

The Abnormal had had other titans trailing behind it, so the two of them had had a rough time cutting them all down. Levi had spotted the cabin after cutting down one of the smaller titans and in order to preserve their gas so that they could make their way back to the camp, he'd told Eren they'd hide out there for a while. Of course he hadn't counted on the clouds unleashing a shit ton of water the moment they'd stepped inside the cabin, so it looked like they would be stuck here for much longer than he'd expected.

"The only thing that looks remotely safe are these canned beans," Eren called out, turning around with two cans in his hands. There was a layer of dust on top of them, but the print on them hadn't faded yet. The brunet jerked his head at the row of cans on the kitchen counter. "There are dents in those and I can't read the labels on them either, so yeah. I think these are the safest."

"It's fine," Levi sighed. "I wasn't exactly expecting a feast."

"Well, you can still choose between white and red beans," Eren offered, wiggling the cans.

"Oh, how could I ever choose?" Levi droned and the younger man grinned.

"Let's eat. We're going to be here for a while."

* * *

The storm continued into well into the evening and Levi resigned himself to spending the night in the cabin. Even if the rain let up now, finding their way back in the darkness in unfamiliar territory would be a bitch. Best to wait until the morning when they would actually have light to guide them.

"You know, I think this is the first night we're really alone, no?" Eren mused; his face lit up with every flash of the lightening outside. He stood next to the window, peering out of it as if he had any chance of seeing something in the pitch black darkness outside.

"I suppose," Levi muttered, eyeing the bed critically. Spring had made its appearance a month ago and while the nights were still rather chilly – especially with the storm currently wreaking havoc outside – he thought they would survive without the moth eaten sheets. No way was he going to sleep underneath those.

"What are you doing?"

Levi barely managed to keep himself from jumping. He kept forgetting just how silent Eren could be when he wanted to. He turned his head and saw the brunet hovering a few feet behind him, his head cocked to the right curiously.

"Checking the bed to make sure we're not going to catch anything from it," Levi replied dryly and pulled his sleeve over his hand so that he could drag the sheets off the bed without having to touch them directly.

"Oh." There was a pause before Eren continued uncertainly, "So, er, you're okay with us sharing the bed?"

Quirking an eyebrow, Levi said evenly, "Why wouldn't I be? We've been sharing the bed for weeks now."

They hadn't at first, Levi not trusting himself to not lash out when he woke up to find someone else in bed with him. He'd been sleeping alone for so long, he hadn't been certain whether he would ever be able to fall asleep with someone right next to him.

Eren, being the stubborn little shit he was, had one night promptly refused to leave Levi's quarters, no matter what kind of threat the older man had used, and had stated he'd take the kicking or the punch if that meant he could share a bed with the dark haired man. Levi, who by then had become extremely aggravated, had just snapped that it'd be his own damn fault if he got punched and had settled into the bed with his back to the boy.

He would never admit it, but he'd slept better that night than ever before.

"Yeah, but it's just – now we're completely alone," Eren muttered, hugging himself and averting his gaze.

Levi inclined his head. "Yes, I doubt your sister will interrupt us tonight," he murmured, smirking faintly when Eren blushed.

Ackerman had been … Well, she wasn't happy that her brother was together with the captain – officially this time, not just a pretence because of a contract – but at least she hadn't tried to punch Levi again, so it was some sort of progress at least. If she kept _'accidentally'_ walking in on them whenever they were alone in the small house they'd picked out for themselves in the village, however, she might discover that he could be worse than Keith when the guy was in a bad mood.

The rest of the recruits had just shrugged and accepted it; not like they could have done much about it anyway. Kirstein still had the occasional row with Eren, but being together with Levi seemed to have calmed down the brunet somewhat actually and he was harder to bait nowadays.

Something which Hange had taken notice of, only adding to her glee. She was stupidly exited about Levi's relationship with Eren and more than once he'd had to kick her just to get her to stop asking such fucking invasive questions.

"I was thinking that we could …" Eren trailed off; his blush steadily darkening.

"That we could what?" Levi sat down gingerly on the bed. The mattress was not much softer than stone, but it would have to do for tonight. He was more interested in what Eren was trying to say anyway. He had an inkling as to what it could be, but he needed to hear the other one actually saying it.

"You know," Eren stammered. He made some abortive hand movements; movements that were jerky and uncoordinated.

"Know what? You're going to have to be specific here, brat," Levi told him, crossing his ankles.

Licking his lips, Eren looked away one more time before he took a deep breath and locked his gaze onto Levi's. "I want to sleep with you. Now – now that we're alone."

Levi smirked and leant forwards. "Making use of the situation, hm?" he murmured and was secretly pleased at the way Eren's blush spread downwards, tinting his neck red. He wondered how far down that flush went. He guessed he would find out tonight.

Despite his heavy blush, Eren stuck out his chin defiantly and his eyes sparked when he retorted, "Aren't you the one who told me to wait for the opportune moment?"

Levi chuckled, remembering that day. It had been a month ago when they had been practicing a new tactic for defeating titans. Eren had wanted to rush out, the hot headed brat that he still was, but Levi had held him back, barking at him to wait for the right moment before he got himself killed.

He hadn't expected to hear his own words being used against him – not in this particular context at least.

Holding out his hand, he said, "Yes, I am. So why are you still standing there?"

Eren nearly tripped in his haste to get on the bed.

* * *

The tanned skin was a sharp contrast to his own pale one and he couldn't help but suck harder at the junction between the boy's neck and shoulder, determined to leave a bruise behind that lasted longer than a couple of seconds.

He was rewarded with a quiet moan, one which was cut off when Levi surged upwards and captured reddened lips in another deep kiss. Long, strong arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him tighter against the naked body underneath him. Nails dragged down lightly over his back, digging into his muscles when he nipped at Eren's lower lip, coaxing a whimper out of the other one.

He had never expected to have this. For years he hadn't been interested in anyone, declining the women's offers to spend a night with them. He'd been focused on the next mission, on the titans he needed to slay, on doing his work like the good little soldier Erwin wanted him to pretend he was.

He had never expected Eren. The moment he'd laid eyes on the boy, he'd known he was different. There was a fire in those green grey eyes that burned almost unholy, a raging monster hiding inside the boy's body that had nothing to do with his ability to shift.

Eren Yeager was a raging inferno and Levi was fascinated with him. Intrigued by the way he refused to give up, refused to back down. Interested in how the spitting, cursing boy could do a complete one eighty when confronted by Levi. The dark haired man wasn't stupid.

There had been a reason that Erwin had chosen him to kick the shit out of Eren during his trial and not Hange or even Mike. Because the commander wanted the boy's trust and he wouldn't have that if someone else but Levi took care of him.

Levi had known from the start that Eren admired him greatly. The younger man was shit at hiding his honest feelings. He'd just never anticipated that that admiration would turn into something else one day.

Something that had Eren clinging to him almost desperately, returning kisses that stung and sparked, hands which mapped out his body reverently, not skipping even one inch. Something that had him quietly moaning in Levi's ears, his breath catching whenever Levi touched him just right. Something that had his hips rolling urgently against Levi's, skin slick with a sheen of sweat; their cocks rubbing against each other.

Something that had his mouth dropping open when Levi slipped one finger inside, his pupils blown wide. It had him trembling when Levi added another finger, had his thighs quaking when the older man settled on top of him.

Had him completely still when Levi pushed forwards, breaching him for the first time. He held Eren's gaze, waited for the go ahead, the permission to move even when every cell in his body screamed at him to just start moving already, burrow himself deeper into the welcoming, slick heat.

Then Eren gripped his shoulders, nodded, and Levi lost it.

Their lips met over and over again in deep, filthy kisses; ones which had his toes curling into the old mattress, had him panting in Eren's mouth as he pumped his hips, trying to find the right angle to have –

_There._

Eren threw his head back with a choked scream and Levi smiled, doing his best to keep aiming there, pressing against the spot he knew would make Eren wild at every second thrust inside.

"L-Levi," Eren stammered, sounding winded, and when he opened his eyes next, Levi's breath got caught in his throat when he met smouldering, green eyes; the fire he loved dancing wildly in those pupil blown out eyes. "H-harder."

Levi paused and then smirked, shaking his head. "If you've got time to order me around, I'm not doing it well enough," he murmured and his next thrust was harsh enough to have Eren keening loudly, his hands scrambling above his head in search of something to grab.

Levi snatched them, tangled their fingers together and pressed them harshly into the mattress, catching Eren's lips into another kiss, groaning when Eren's inner muscles tightened around his cock in response.

"L-L-Levi, I'm – I'm going to," Eren panted, squeezing his eyes shut, his whole body shuddering.

"I've got you," Levi promised. "I've got you."

Eren's back arched and Levi's name escaped him through gritted teeth when he came, coating both his and Levi's stomach liberally. He was still shaking when he dropped back down and the look on his face, in his eyes, was enough to make Levi swear loudly before pressing his face in Eren's neck as he came too, his hips stuttering to a stop, the pleasure coursing through his veins intense enough to almost have him black out.

It took an embarrassing long time to get his bearings back and when he lifted himself up on trembling arms, Eren blinked at him sleepily before waving a hand haphazardly and rather weakly at the bed. "Sorry for the mess," he slurred, looking like he was about to conk out any minute now.

"It's fine," Levi told him, carefully pulling out before surveying the bed and themselves carefully.

They were both a fucking mess and the mattress was definitely a goner now and they couldn't even take a bath, because there was no running water or soap in this damn place.

Yet Levi had never been happier.

* * *

The rain petered out somewhere after midnight, he guessed, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. There was a bit of moonlight creeping through the cracks in the roof, but it was hardly enough to see anything.

Next to him Eren snorted softly before he buried himself deeper into Levi's side. The captain's arm automatically fell across his shoulder.

It had almost been a year since he'd snatched up Eren's contract, he reflected. Almost a year since their lives had been completely upended, changing everything they had taken for granted.

They'd always be Enquirer and Companion for as long as the system was in place. Levi hated that, even when it was only on paper. Yet he would do this all over again if it meant keeping the boy in his arms safe. If it meant having moments like this, peaceful ones, ones where they were just them, not soldier and captain, not Humanity's Last Hope and Humanity's Strongest, but Eren and Levi, then the contract was a small price to pay.

Erwin had said Eren was his chance at happiness.

Turning his head to look down at Eren for a moment, he smiled wryly and closed his eyes. Of course the damn giant would be right about this too. He would tell off the bastard, but well – no need to give him the satisfaction of being right. Erwin probably knew already anyway.

Maybe there was something to be said about traditions after all – but only because they had given Levi another chance at happiness.

For now, though, he would sleep.

Tomorrow was a brand new day.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: I don't even know what the hell I was doing at the end of this chapter *throws hands up* I basically let the characters lead and this is what I ended up writing. I hope it wasn't too bad!
> 
> For the last time: please leave a review behind with your thoughts. Should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all back in my future stories!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa

**Author's Note:**

> AN2: So yeah, a darkish theme *coughs* 
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me. I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


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